W  A  L  T  E  R   G  II A  F  T  O  N  .    SEE  PAGE  332. 
The  American  Flag  shall  protect  the  American  Seaman. 


SALT  WATER  BUBBLES; 


LIFE     ON     THE     WAVE. 


HAWSER  MARTINGALE. 


WITH 

ORIGINAL  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  KILBURN  &  MALLORY. 


1  The  earth  hath  bubbles  as  the  water  has, 
And  these  are  of  them." 

SHAKSPEARE. 


BOSTON 
WM.    J.     REYNOLDS     &     CO 

X  0 .    24    COR  X  HILL 
1854 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1854,  by 

WM.   J.    REYNOLDS    &    CO., 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


Stereotyped   by 

HOBART   &   ROBBINS, 

New  England  Type  and  Stereotype  F->u».W» 

BOSTON 


PRESS   OF    G.    C.    RAND,   COUNIIILL. 


ADDRESS  TO  THE  READER. 


THE  tales  of  which  this  volume  is  composed  were  mostly  writ 
ten  for  publication  in  another  form,  and  have  appeared  at  different 
times  in  the  columns  of  the  Boston  Journal.  They  were  received 
with  favor  by  the  subscribers  to  that  newspaper ;  and  the  demand 
is  so  often  made  for  more,  or  for  the  republication  of  those  which 
have  already  been  laid  before  the  public,  that  the  author  has  con 
sented  to  prepare  for  publication  a  volume  of  these  "  Salt  Water 
Bubbles,"  carefully  revised,  with  emendations  and  additions. 

There  is  a  sort  of  romance  connected  with  adventures  on  the 
sea,  or  anything  pertaining  to  a  nautical  life,  which,  perhaps, 
exists  more  in  imagination  than  in  fact ;  and  to  this,  I  am  aware, 
may  be  attributed,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  popularity  which 
these  tales  have  acquired.  It  was  my  aim,  when  preparing  them 
for  publication,  to  furnish  faithful  pictures  of  nautical  life,  of 
scenes  on  shipboard,  and  sketches  of  the  character  of  the  sailor 
in  the  American  merchant  service  during  the  first  quarter  of  the 
present  century.  That  the  nautical  details  relative  to  the  scenes 
and  incidents  described  hi  these  stories  are  accurate,  I  believe  will 
not  be  questioned,  any  more  than  the  fidelity  of  the  pictures 
drawn  of  life  in  the  forecastle  or  the  cabin,  among  those  real 
"  web-footed  old  salts,"  who  navigated  and  manned  our  merchant 
ships  thirty  years  ago. 

It  may  be  urged  that  the  language  of  the  sailors  who  figure  in 
these  "  Bubbles"  is  of  a  less  technical,  profane,  and  otherwise 
objectionable  character  than  is  generally  ascribed  to  the  men 
who  pass  their  lives  on  the  ocean.  Many  believe  that  every  sen 
tence  uttered  by  a  sailor  when  afloat  smacks  strongly  of  tar  or 
pitch  ;  that  every  third  word  is  a  puzzler  to  a  landsman,  or  of  a 
character  to  shock  his  sense  of  propriety  and  decency ;  and  that 
his  whole  dialect  is  so  peculiar  that  it  cannot  be  understood  by 
the  uninitiated  without  the  help  of  an  elaborate  vocabulary. 
A* 


TI  ADDRESS  TO  THE  READER. 

To  this  it  may  be  replied  that  the  character  of  the  American 
sailor,  or  the  sailor  in  the  American  merchant  service,  is  greatly 
misunderstood.  Indeed,  the  language  attributed  to  sailors  in 
nearly  all  the  popular  volumes,  which  aim  at  giving  a  correct 
transcript  of  sailor  character,  is  too  far-strained,  overdone  and 
unnatural.  It  is  not  the  case  that  a  sailor  cannot  utter  a  sen 
tence  of  a  dozen  words  without  interlarding  it  with  oaths  and 
slang  expressions.  The  language  of  the  forecastle,  although 
often  vigorous,  expressive  and  manly,  and  sometimes,  I  regret  to 
say,  objectionable  in  many  respects,  has  not,  necessarily,  and  in 
all  cases,  that  smack  of  tar  and  profanity  about  it  which  is 
believed  by  many  to  be  the  inseparable  attribute  of  a  prime  sea 
man.  Besides,  it  should  be  recollected  that  we  often  meet  with 
inmates  of  a  ship's  forecastle  who  are  well-educated,  and  familiar 
with  the  conventional  rules  of  civilized  society ;  whose  language 
is  correct  in  every  sense,  and  whose  modes  of  expression  are  in 
good  taste  and  often  eloquent.  The  influence  which  such  men 
exert  on  a  ship's  company,  composed  of  different  and  coarser  ma 
terials,  is  always  great  and  highly  salutary.  1  trust,  however, 
that  an  apology  will  hardly  be  necessary  for  the  course  I  have 
thought  proper  to  adopt,  in  excluding  from  these  pages  aught 
which  borders  on  profanity  or  indelicacy,  while  giving  the  lan 
guage  of  the  forecastle. 

With  regard  to  the  literary  merit  of  this  volume  I  have  noth 
ing  to  say,  excepting  that  it  has  no  pretension  to  excellence  of 
that  description.  It  consists  of  tales  of  ocean  life,  told  in  a 
plain,  off-hand  manner,  by  one  who  for  years  had  his  home  in  the 
forecastle ;  of  sketches,  sometimes  drawn  from  the  imagination, 
but  generally  founded  on  fact ;  sometimes  grave,  sometimes 
humorous,  and  sometimes  descriptive ;  and  all  illustrating,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  the  amusements,  superstitions,  perils,  vices 
and  virtues  of  the  sailor ;  and  sprinkled  with  tempests,  ship 
wrecks,  hair-breadth-scapes,  piracies  and  battles  ;  with  occasional 
glimpses  of  scenes  of  another  sort,  life  in  the  rural  districts  of 
New  England. 

And  now,  without  further  preface,  I  launch  my  bark  upon  the 
wave.  If  it  should  sink,  "  why,  then,  good-night !  "  But  if  it 
should  swim,  the  public  may,  in  due  time,  have  another  ball  of 
sailors'  yarns  thrust  upon  their  attention. 

J.  S.  S. 

Roxburv<  Mass.)  September,  1854. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS, 


I. 

MOTHER    CAREY'S    CHICKENS. 

The  Scilly  Isles  —  A  storm  —  A  ship  among  the  breakers  —  The  fishermen  to  the 
rescue  —  A  woman  saved  from  the  wreck  —  Her  grief  at  the  loss  of  her  husband 
and  child  —  Finds  a  home  on  the  island  —  Gives  her  protection  to  the  Stormy 
Petrels,  which  receive  the  name  of  their  benefactor 1 

II. 

THE    ALLSPICE    PRIVATEER. 

Fourth  of  July  at  Sea  —  A  sailor  refuses  his  grog  !  —  His  tale  of  the  Allspice  —  Cap 
tain  Thunderbolt  —  Mutiny  on  board  —  A  bloody  affray  —  The  captain  fires  a 
pistol  into  the  magazine,  and  the  Allspice  is  blown  up  —  Jim,  with  two  of  his 
shipmates,  escapes  OQ  a  raft  —  Encounter  with  sharks  —  Dreadful  sufferings  —  They 
reach  the  island  of  Barbadoes 14 

III. 
HARPOONING    A    SPANIARD. 

Harbor  of  Havana  —  Cassandra  of  Salem  — Case  of  decided  felony— Indignation  of 
the  cook  —  A  trap  set  by  Mr.  Conroy  —  The  thief  detected  in  the  act,  and  punished 
—  Excitement  in  Havana ,  .  29 


IV. 

GOLOOLOO  ;    OR,  THE   MERMAID   OF  THE   RIDING  ROCKS. 

A  night  on  the  Bahama  Banks  —  Jack  Robbins's  adventure  with  Mermaids  —  Flirta 
tion  with  Oolooloo  —  Visits  the  grottos  beneath  the  Gulf  Stream  —  Falls  in  love  with 
Oolooloo  — Marries  her  and  lives  in  clover  — Sad  fate  of  Oolooloo  —  Jack  bids  his 
old  friends  farewell,  fills  his  pockets  with  "  rocks,"  and  returns  to  his  home  in  Ver 
mont ,  .  35 


VIII  CONTENTS. 


V. 

WHITE-HEADED   BILL. 

Queer  figure-head  of  White-headed  Bill  —  Cause  of  his  hoary  locks  —  Mad  frolics  of 
his  shipmates  in  Savannah  —  His  struggles  with  a  ghost  in  the  forecastle  of  brig 
Joreph  —  A  loving  hug  and  a  terrible  fight  —  Uproar  in  consequence  along  the 
wharves 53 


YI. 

THREE-FINGERED    JACKS. 

The  Skyrocket  leaving  Boston  —  Long  wharf — Anger  of  the  captain  on  discovering 
that  three  of  his  crew  were  deficient  in  fingers  — The  missing  fingers  accounted  for 
in  detail  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  captain 64 


VII. 

WIDOW    MORRISON. 

The  cottage  in  Lausanne  —  Marriage  of  Captain  Morrison  and  Helen  Ogilvy  —  Voy 
age  to  the  Indies — The  missing  ship  —  Mrs.  Morrison  retires  into  the  country  — 
Return  of  the  wanderer  —  His  sufferings  in  Borneo  —  Finds  a  happy  home,  and 
affectionate  wife  and  children 98 


VIII. 

JERRY    MARLINSPIKE'S    RIDE. 

The  dull-sailing  ship  Atalanta  —  Jerry  Marlinspike's  experience  on  shore  —  Ventures 
on  horseback  —  A  sailor's  plan  to  check  a  runaway  horse  —  Lets  go  the  anchor, 
and  is  brought  up  all  standing  !  —  Mournful  effect  produced  on  his  phiz.  .  .  .  117 


IX. 

A  TALE  OP  THE  WINTER'S  COAST. 

Massachusetts  Bay  in  winter  —  Captain  Chesstree,  of  ship  Coriander  —  A  model 
shipmaster  —  Gale  in  "the  Gulf"  —  A  north-wester,  "but-end  foremost"  —  Suffer 
ings  from  cold  —  Cape  Cod  light-house  —  A  north-east  snow-storm  in  the  Bay  — 
Breakers  under  the  lee  —  The  masts  cut  away  —  The  anchors  let  go,  and  the  ship 
saved. .  .  126 


CONTENTS. 


X. 

SEA    DOGS. 

Troubles  on  board  the  Sylphide  — The  dog  Faithful  proves  a  thief—  Grave  discussion 
relating  to  the  character  of  dogs  —  Pointed  illustrations  in  the  shape  of  stubborn 
facts  — Melancholy  fate  of  the  unlucky  Faithful 154 


XI. 

POPPING    THE    QUESTION. 

Matrimony  discussed  in  the  forecastle  —  Opinion  of  Dick  Dallas  —  Frank  Granger  tells 
his  adventures  with  a  Yankee  girl  —  Meets  with  a  decided  rebuff,  and  is  laughed  at 
for  his  pains  —  Goes  to  sea 165 


XIK 

WHISTLING    JACK. 

"Waiting  for  the  captain  —  Narrative  of  a  voyage  with  Whistling  Jack  —  Sad  results 
which  follow  his  mournful  tunes  —  A  pirate  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico — Courage  of 
Margaret  Calderon  —  Self-devotion  of  Whistling  Jack,  and  fate  of  the  Pirates.  .  178 


XIII. 

THE    STUTTERING    CAPTAIN. 

Captain  Nicholas  Throgmorton— His  unhappy  infirmity  —  How  he  struck  terror  into 
the  hearts  of  the  Frenchmen  —  His  dislike  to  do  things  by  proxy  —  Rebuke  to  his 
mate  for  taking  words  out  of  his  mouth  —  Trouble  with  the  Dutchman — Thrilling 
adventure  at  Gibraltar  —  Breakers  ahead,  and  Captain  Throgmorton's  agony  — 
Happy  expedient  of  the  helmsman  —  Abandons  a  sea-going  life 202 


XIY. 

RUFUS   ARMSTRONG;    OR,   PRACTICAL  JOKES. 

A  sailor's  disgust  at  salt  water  —  The  second  mate  of  the  Orestes  roused  up  when 
asleep  in  his  watrh  —  Cruel  trick  played  on  Jerry  Johnson  —  A  false  step  —  Quar- 


CONTENTS. 


rel  with  Chinamen  in  Batavia  — A  row  on  Boston  Common  — Affray  with  "old 
Kead  "  —  Cure  for  "  calking  "  —  A  penalty  for  practical  jokes  —  A  matrimonial  ca 
tastrophe 213 


XV. 

TOM  DULANY  ;    OR,  THE  IRISHMAN  TAKEN  IN  TOW. 

Adventure  in  Maranham — Tom's  politeness  to  a  lady,  but  treats  her  husband  un 
kindly—Escapes  in  the  Blackbird  — Is  frightened  by  an  albicore  —  Harpoons  the 
fish,  who  makes  off,  carrying  Tom  with  him  — The  chase,  and  final  rescue  of  Du- 
lany 234 


XVI. 

THE    SAILOR'S    REVENGE. 

Harry  Wilder  —  His  voyage  with  Captain  Binnacle  —  Is  ill-treated  by  the  captain, 
and  vows  to  be  revenged  —  Years  pass,  and  they  meet  in  a  snow-storm  in  a  coun 
try  village  —  How  he  keeps  his  vow 242 


XVII. 

FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN. 

Frank's  second  love  adventure  —  He  is  deceived  by  the  squire  —  Forsakes  the  fair 
Nabby,  and  goes  to  sea  —  Hears  of  the  marriage  of  Nabby  and  the  squire  —  Re 
turns  to  Cranberry  village  —  Witnesses  connubial  endearments  —  Receives  a  prac 
tical  lesson  on  the  subject  of  interfering  between  man  and  wife  —  Becomes  an  advo 
cate  of  celibacy 251 


XVIII. 

THE    CATAMARAN 

Captain  Cameron  —  His  voyage  to  Brazil  in  the  Cunegunda  —  The  catamaran  — 
Rescue  of  Marie  de  Sandoval  —  Her  story  —  Pedro  the  Savage  —  Assassination  and 
abduction  —  Fatal  combat — Her  sufferings  —  The  denouement  ,  .  267 


CONTENTS.  XI 


XIX. 

A    THANKSGIVING    STORY. 

Return  of  Edward  Willis,  after  an  absence  for  years  —  Thanksgiving  day  —  The  fes 
tival —  Edward's  reception  by  his  parents  —  Old  Bose  —  Mary  Wardsworth —  He 
anchors  in  a  pleasant  haven  for  life 279 


XX. 

THE   PIRATE  IN   THE   OLD   BAHAMA  CHANNEL. 

Sabbath-day  at  sea  — Ned  Gasket  gets  a  yarn  on  stretch  — The  brig  Horse  Mackerel 
—  the  pirate  schooner  off  Sugar  Key  —  The  chase  —  Mrs.  Seymour  —  Preparations 
for  a  desperate  fight  —  Ginger  Key  —  The  crisis  —  Fate  of  the  pirate  schooner,  and 
escape  of  the  Horse  Mackerel 289 

c? 

XXI. 

HOW    TO    RAISE    A    BREEZE. 

A  calm  —  Ship  Memphremagog  off  the  Cape  de  Verdes  —  Impatience  of  Captain 
Brandt  —  Capture  of  a  shark  and  decapitation  of  his  tail  —  Jack  Thompson  tries  to 
raise  a  breeze  —  Battle  between  two  darkies  —  A  general  melee  ensues  —  Captain 
Brandt  manifests  striking  marks  of  indignation  —  The  charm  dissolved  —  A  heavy 
squall  bursts  upon  the  ship,  and  off  she  goes  ! 305 


XXII. 

WALTER  GRAFTON  ;    OR,  THE  IMPRESSED  AMERICAN. 

An  old  sailor's  return  to  his  native  village  —  His  home  has  disappeared  —  Fourth  of 
July  —  The  American  flag  —  The  victim  of  impressment  gazes  with  admiration  on 
the  stars  and  stripes,  utters  a  loud  huzza,  and  breathes  his  last  sigh 323 


XXIII. 

CUTTING  OUT  WORK  FOR  ALL  HANDS. 

The  stout  ship  Will-o'-the-wisp  and  Captain  Grampus  —  His  custom  of  an  aft«rnoon 

—  Scudding  under  studding-sails  in  a  gale  —  Broaching  to  — Snapping  of  the  spars 

—  Beautiful  condition  of  the  ship,  and  "work  for  all  hands." G34 


XII  CONTENTS. 

XXIV. 

JACK  HOPKINS  :   A  CASE  OF  CIRCUMSTANTIAL  EVIDENCE. 

A  night  on  the  Bahama  Bank  —  Bob  Hastings  spins  a  yarn  about  an  old  shipmate  — 
Adventure  in  Havana  —  A  Spaniard  murdered  —  Jack  Hopkins  charged  with  the 
crime,  tried,  and  garroted— The  real  murderer  discovered  —  Apology  for  putting  to 
death  an  innocent  man 341 

c 

XXV. 

CALICO    JACK. 

Catching  porpoises  on  board  ship  Lobster  —  Jack  Callimanco  —  His  misfortune  while 
after  a  dolphin  —  A  cruise  on  a  hen-coop  among  the  Cape  de  Verdes  —  Mounts  a 
porpoise  a  cheval  —  A  ride  for  life  —  Astonishes  the  natives  —  Rejoins  the  Poca- 
hontas,  and  is  warmly  welcomed  on  board 354 

so 

XXVI. 

PETER  THE  GREAT  ;    OR,  AN  AUDIENCE  IN  THE  MAIN-TOP. 

Character  of  Peter  —  His  services  to  his  country  —  His  visit  to  Holland  —  Labors  at 
Saardam  —  The  English  embassay  —  Received  in  lofty  style  —  Perplexity  of  the 
!  — The  difficulty  overcome 367 


XXVII. 

CAPTURING    AN    INDIAMAN. 

Letter  of  marque  Wanderer  —  Captain  Wilcox  and  the  English  admiral  at  Whampoa 
—  Falling  in  with  an  Indiaman  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  —  Good  use  of 
"quakers"  —  Cool  and  successful  impudence  of  Wilcox  —  Influence  of  a  pretty 
woman's  tears  —  A  kiss  —  Incident  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  —  Meeting  at  the 
Isle  of  France 378 


XXVIII. 

SATURDAY    NIGHT    REVELS. 

The  ship  Pandolfo  in  Pernambuco  —  Visitors  on  board  —  Saturday  night  revels  in 
the  cabin  and  the  forecastle  —  Disturbances  arise— A  general  set-to  —  Disastrous 
finale  —  Poor  Jack  !  .  .  390 


SALT  WATER  BUBBLES. 


MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKEXS. 

A    LEGEND    OF    THE    SCILLY    ISLES. 

Cleopatra.  —  0,  Qiarmian,  I  will  never  go  from  hence. 

Charmian.  —  Be  comforted,  dear  madam. 

Cleopatra.  —  No,  I  will  not. 

All  strange  and  terrible  events  are  welcome  now, 
But  comforts  I  despise. 

SHAKSPEARE. 

HE  SCILLY 
ISLES  is  the 
g  name  given  to 
"~  the  group  of 
^islands  situat 
ed  on  the  Eng 
lish  coast,  at 

the  distance  of  about  thirty  miles 
west  of  Land's  End,  on  the  coast  of 
Cornwall.     They  may  be  seen  from 
this   point,   in   clear  weather,   like 
broken  cliffs  rising  out  of  the  Atlan 
tic.     These  islands  cover  an  area  of  about 
!  forty  miles  in  circumference,  and,  being  in  the 
direct  track  of  vessels  bound  to  the  English 
Channel,  present  a  formidable  impediment  to 
the  safe  navigation  of  these  seas,  and  are  not 
unfrequently  the  scenes  of  disastrous  and  fatal 
1   " 


SS  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

shipwrecks.  Many  merchant  ships  have  been  lost  upon  those 
rocks,  with  all  their  crews ;  and  the  fatal  shipwreck  of  the 
British  ship-of-the-line  Association,  the  flag-ship  of  Admiral 
Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel,  in  1705,  and  other  ships  of  the  fleet, 
which  resulted  in  the  death  of  the  admiral  and  many  brave 
officers  and  men,  is  recorded  in  the  naval  annals  of  Great 
Britain. 

Some  of  these  islands  are  nothing  more  than  high  and  crag 
gy  rocks,  elevating  their  heads  above  the  ocean;  six  of  them, 
however,  are  of  considerable  size,  mostly  covered  with  soil, 
and  inhabited.  Their  names  are  St.  Mary's,  Trescaw,  St. 
Martin,  St.  Agnes,  on  which  a  light-house  is  erected,  Samson, 
and  Brehar.  The  largest  of  these  islands  is  St.  Mary's, 
which  is  about  ten  miles  in  circumference,  and  a  considerable 
portion  of  it  is  susceptible  of  cultivation.  The  inhabitants 
are  not  remarkable  for  intelligence,  but  are  an  industrious, 
hardy  race  of  people,  engaged  principally  in  the  occupation 
of  fishing  and  husbandry.  The  little  island  of  Brehar  lies 
on  the  south-western  side  of  the  cluster,  and  now  contains  up 
wards  of  one  hundred  inhabitants.  It  possesses  but  little  soil 
capable  of  culture,  its  surface  is  uneven,  and  some  of  the  hills 
are  high  and  rugged. 

More  than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  years  have  passed 
away  since  an  event  occurred  which  created  quite  a  sensation 
among  the  people  of  the  Scilly  Islands,  and  is  still  talked  of 
among  the  aged  inhabitants  of  Brehar,  which  island  was  the 
theatre  of  the  scenes  I  am  about  to  relate. 

It  was  a  gloomy  night.  The  wind  blew  in  fearful  gusts 
from  the  south-west,  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  the  waves 
dashed  with  a  loud  and  angry  roar  against  the  naked  rocks. 
The  fishing-boats  were  safely  moored  in  a  little  bay,  or  drawn 
up  on  the  shore,  and  the  good  women  and  children  who  dwelt 
on  the  rough  and  barren  island  of  Brehar,  while  they  listened 


MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKENS.  3 

to  the  raging  of  the  furious  storm,  devoutly  thanked  their 
God  that  their  husbands,  their  parents,  aud  their  brethren,  were 
not  exposed  in  their  frail  boats  to  the  terrible  hurricane. 

"  God  help  the  poor  sailor,  now  !  "  exclaimed  a  worthy 
dame,  as  she  heaped  some  fragments  of  an  old  wreck  upon 
the  fire ;  for  the  month  was  October,  and  the  weather  was 
unpleasantly  chill. 

"  Amen !  "  exclaimed  her  hard-featured  husband,  who  had 
thrown  himself  on  the  low  bed  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  "  I 
hope  no  vessels  will  be  driven  among  these  rocks  on  such  a 
terrible  night  as  this ;  for  although  a  wreck  would  be  a  God 
send  to  us,  it  would  be  certain  death  to  all  the  poor  fellows 
on  board.  Hark  !  I  thought  I  heard  a  gun." 

"  It  was  only  the  scream  of  the  wind  as  it  swept  past  the 
crag,  Willy.  Nay,  do  not  arise.  It  was  no  alarm,  believe 
me.  It  was  the  sound  of  the  wind  and  the  waves." 

"  It  was  a  gun,  Alisa !  I  know  the  sound  too  well  to  be 
mistaken,"  said  the  fisherman,  as  he  threw  on  his  outer  gar 
ments,  and  prepared  to  leave  his  hut,  ascend  the  crag,  and 
brave  the  fury  of  the  blast.  "  And  there  is  another,  alarm 
ingly  nearer.  Some  vessel  is  driven  by  the  tempest  upon 
these  rocks  !  Good  woman,  rouse  out  the  boys  —  I  will  sum 
mon  our  neighbors,  but  am  afraid  it  will  be  to  no  purpose. 
What  madness  to  venture  so  near  the  Scilly  Islands  on  such  a 
night  as  this  !  " 

In  a  few  minutes  there  stood  on  the  edge  of  a  cliff,  peering 
anxiously  out  upon  the  murky  waters,  regardless  of  the  rain, 
or  the  wind,  or  the  salt  sea  spray,  which,  when  a  wave  broke 
beneath  their  feet,  fell  over  them  in  drenching  showers,  a  little 
band  of  men,  with  weather-beaten  features,  but  athletic  figures 
and  warm  hearts.  They  feared  not  the  storm.  Its  howling 
was  music  in  their  ears,  to  which  they  had  been  accustomed 
from  infancy.  But  an  alarm  had  been  given,  and  a  mingled 
feeling  of  curiosity  and  humanity,  and,  perhaps,  a  secret,  un- 


4  .  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

acknowledged  sense  of  pleasure  at  the  prospect  of  a  profitable 
wreck,  urged  these  rude  and  uncultivated  men  to  mount  the 
summit  of  the  cliff,  amid  the  darkness  of  the  night  and  the 
conflict  of  the  elements. 

Another  gun  was  distinctly  heard.  The  vessel,  urged  by 
the  violence  of  the  tempest,  was  rapidly  approaching.  The 
crew  were  doubtless  aware  of  their  danger,  and  sent  forth  the 
well-known  summons  for  assistance;  but  no  earthly  power 
could  save  them  from  shipwreck.  Earnestly,  but  in  vain,  the 
fishermen  strove  to  penetrate  the  darkness,  which  seemed  a 
black  curtain  drawn  around  them,  shutting  out  all  objects  from 
their  view.  Nothing  could  be  seen,  but  their  imaginations 
could  picture  a  scene  of  terror.  Through  Fancy's  magic  glass 
they  witnessed  struggles  for  life,  convulsive  wrestlings  with 
the  waters,  and  death  in  a  fearful  shape ;  and  these  visions, 
which  their  reason  told  them  would  soon  be  realized,  caused 
their  bosoms  to  thrill  with  emotion. 

"  Poor  fellows !  It  will  soon  be  all  over  with  them  !  "  ex 
claimed,  in  sorrowful  accents,  a  venerable-looking  fisherman ; 
and  at  that  moment,  as  if  to  establish  the  truth  of  his  opinion, 
loud  and  prolonged  shrieks  reached  their  ears,  as  of 'beings 
in  mortal  agony. 

"  There !  "  cried  the  fisherman,  "  the  ship  is  among  the 
breakers.  She  is  on  the  rocks !  Let  us  hasten  to  assist  the 
crew,  if  it  is  not  too  late."  And  these  bold  men  descended 
to  the  craggy  and  surf-worn  rocks,  with  a  view  to  aid  any  of 
the  unfortunate  crew  who  might  be  swept  upon  the  shore,  and 
also  to  save  such  portions  of  the  wreck  as  the  waves  might 
throw  upon  the  rocks. 

By  the  light  of  lanterns,  which  were  procured  from  their 
cottages,  they  narrowly  examined  the  surface  of  the  waters, 
and  the  crests  of  the  foaming  breakers,  and  it  was  not  long 
ere  they  descried,  borne  towards  them  on  the  heaving  billows 
broken  spars,  deal  boards,  pieces  of  railings,  and  other  mate- 


MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKENS.  5 

rials,  showing  that  beyond  a  doubt  some  vessel  had  struck 
upon  the  ledge,  within  hail  of  the  spot  where  they  stood,  and 
had  been  dashed  to  pieces.  At  length  their  attention  was 
attracted  by  a  large  plank,  to  which,  as  it  was  lifted  high  on 
the  top  of  a  foaming  billow,  appeared  to  be  attached  some 
object  resembling  a  human  being.  It  was  soon  thrown  upon 
the  rocks,  and  was  eagerly  seized  upon  by  the  fishermen,  and 
borne  high  upon  the  cliffs,  beyond  the  reach  of  the  waves. 
It  was  then  found  that  the  body  of  a  woman  was  lashed  firmly 
to  the  plank.  The  unfortunate  being  was  insensible,  but  she 
was  with  care  conveyed  to  the  nearest  cottage,  and  means 
were  adopted  for  restoring  her  senses. 

For  a  long  time  these  efforts  were  unsuccessful,  and  it  was 
thought  her  soul  had  taken  flight  to  another  world.  It  was 
not  so  ;  she  was  preserved  to  linger  yet  for  many  years  on 
the  stage  of  life,  and  act  an  humble  part  in  the  great  drama 
of  existence.  But  she  suffered  much  agony  before  she  was 
restored  to  consciousness,  and  many  hours  elapsed  ere  she  was 
able  to  hold  converse  with  any  one,  and  enlighten  her  kind 
preservers  on  the  subject  of  the  melancholy  event  which  had 
taken  place.  In  the  mean  time,  the  fishermen  continued  their 
labors  on  the  shore,  and  the  dawn  of  day  found  them  still 
busily  employed  in  hauling  up  pieces  of  the  wreck,  and  bales, 
boxes,  barrels,  and  packages,  which  had  drifted  on  shore. 
The  bodies  of  two  men  were  also  washed  ashore,  terribly 
bruised  by  being  dashed  upon  the  rocks,  but  life  was  extinct. 
As  daylight  opened  upon  them,  a  part  of  the  hull  of  a  large 
vessel  could  be  seen,  at  not  more  than  a  couple  of  cables' 
length  distance,  lodged  upon  a  reef  of  rocks,  and  buried  ever 
and  anon  by  the  breakers.  A  portion  of  the  hull,  and  all  the 
spars,  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  cargo,  had  been  forced 
by  the  winds  and  waves  upon  the  iron-bound  shores  of  the 
island.  But  all  the  crew  of  that  ill-fated  ship,  and  all  the 
passengers,  save  that  one  poor  female,  lashed  to  a  plank,  had 
1* 


O  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

been  hurried  into  eternity.  They  had  been  called  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly,  while,  perhaps,  the  ties  which  attached  them  to 
life  were  strong  and  numerous,  to  account  for  their  conduct 
at  the  bar  of  their  God. 

The  woman  who  had  been  saved  from  death,  on  returning 
to  consciousness,  and  on  hearing  that  all  her  companions  in 
that  devoted  bark  were  drowned,  seemed  overwhelmed  with 
the  bitterness  of  woe.  The  empire  of  reason  appeared  to  be 
overthrown,  and,  in  the  midst  of  her  outbreaks  of  grief,  she 
often  spoke  of  her  husband  and  child.  Her  destitute,  lonely, 
and  mournful  fate,  was  deeply  pitied  by  the  rough  but  honest 
inhabitants  of  that  sterile  island,  who  were  unremitting  in 
their  efforts  to  soothe  her  sorrows  and  alleviate  her  woes. 

It  subsequently  appeared  that  the  vessel  which  had  been 
lost  was  the  large  ship  James  Moffat,  which  a  week  previous 
had  sailed  from  the  port  of  Bristol  for  Philadelphia,  with  a 
cargo  of  provisions,  clothing,  and  goods  of  various  kinds,  for 
the  colonies.  Among  the  passengers  was  a  gentleman,  with 
his  wife  and  child.  His  wife  was  a  beautiful  woman,  about 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  possessed  of  every  grace  and  accom 
plishment.  And  it  appeared  that,  when  the  storm  which  we 
have  described  was  at  its  height,  and  when  the  dreadful  roar 
of  breakers  was  heard  under  the  lee,  —  a  sound  of  fearful 
import  in  the  ears  of  seamen,  —  in  that  awful  moment  the 
husband  and  father  with  his  own  hands  attached  his  living 
treasures  to  a  plank,  which  he  hoped  would  be  the  means  of 
rescuing  them  from  death.  The  child  was  washed  from  the 
plank  by  the  force  of  the  waves,  but  the  mother,  as  I  have 
already  related,  reached  the  shore,  and  was  succored  by  the 
kind-hearted  fishermen. 

Some  days  elapsed  ere  she  was  able  to  give  any  of  the  par 
ticulars  of  the  disaster,  during  which  time  her  life  was  in 
imminent  danger.  And  when  she  was  so  far  recovered  that 
she  could  understand  the  questions  pat  to  her,  her  replies  were 


MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKENS.  7 

reluctantly  given  and  unsatisfactory.  She  would  furnish  no 
information  respecting  the  place  of  her  home,  or  whether  she 
was  going  to  or  returning  from,  the  land  of  her  nativity.  She 
merely  said  that  her  name  was  Carey,  but  whether  she  had 
near  connections  or  friends  residing  in  Europe  or  America,  no 
one  could  tell.  It  was  evident  that  all  her  hopes  and  her 
joys  were  buried  beneath  the  waters  with  her  husband  and 
child.  A  dark  and  impassable  barrier  seemed  to  be  raised 
between  her  and  the  rest  of  the  world ;  and  she  looked  forward 
to  death  as  to  a  friend  that  would  pave  the  way  for  a  reunion 
with  those  she  loved. 

Some  weeks  passed  away,  and  her  physical  strength  was  in 
a  great  measure  restored,  but  she  evinced  no  desire  to  quit  the 
island.  On  the  contrary,  when  the  subject  was  mentioned, 
and  .she  was  told  that  means  would  be  provided,  if  she  wished, 
to  carry  her  to  St.  Mary's,  and  thence  back  to  Bristol,  she 
exhibited  dissatisfaction  and  alarm. 

"  O,  do  not,"  said  she,  "  tear  me  from  this  sacred  spot, 
where  I  can  behold  the  turbulent  waves  as  they  roll  over  the 
bodies  of  my  husband  and4  child.  Pray  let  me  remain  here. 
I  promise  you  I  will  not  trouble  you  long.  Nor  do  I  wish  to 
eat  the  bread  of  idleness.  I  will  work ;  I  will  assist  your 
wives  in  their  household  duties ;  I  will  nurse  you  in  sickness, 
and  I  will  be  a  friend  and  a  mother  to  your  children,  and 
instruct  them  in  the  paths  of  learning  and  in  their  duties  to 
their  God.  I  will  willingly  submit  to  any  privation  or 
hardship,  only  do  not,  I  pray  you,  insist  on  my  leaving  this 
island !  " 

It  was  evident  that  misfortune  had  affected  her  reason. 
Her  words  and  manner  excited  the  pity  of  those  whom  she 
addressed,  and  they  assured  her  that  her  presence  was  by  no 
means  unwelcome ;  that  they  would  be  pleased  to  have  her 
remain  among  them  as  long  as  she  chose,  and  would  never 
mention  the  subject  of  her  departure  again,  as  it  appeared  to 


8  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

give  her  pain.  The  subject  was  never  again  referred  to. 
Mrs.  Carey  remained  upon  the  island,  and  for  many  years 
was  an  object  of  compassion,  of  admiration,  of  respect  or  fear, 
to  the  inhabitants. 

She  was  what  is  termed  a  beautiful  woman.  Her  features 
were  regular,  arid  her  figure  was  tall  and  majestic,  yet  of 
graceful  proportions.  But  her  countenance,  during  life,  was 
never  known  to  be  lighted  up  with  a  smile  after  the  death  of 
her  husband  and  child.  Her  features  became  pale,  rigid,  and 
resembled  the  chiselling  of  a  marble  statue.  Her  words  were 
few ;  for,  although  never  reluctant  to  impart  instruction,  or 
give  advice  when  it  could  be  of  service,  she  abstained  from  all 
unnecessary  conversation,  and  studiously  avoided  the  subject 
of  her  former  home  or  connections.  In  the  dead  of  night, 
when  the  inmates  of  the  humble  huts  were  wrapped  in  sleep, 
she  would  wander  about  the  cliffs,  or  seat  herself  upon  the 
extreme  verge  of  a  precipice,  and  pass  hours  in  gazing  into 
the  depths  below  and  indulging  in  gloomy  reflections.  And, 
when  a  fierce  storm  arose,  and  the  winds  howled,  and  the  rains 
fell,  and  the  thunder  rolled  over  her  head,  and  the  lightning 
hissed,  and  the  waves  dashed  madly  against  the  rocks,  she 
would  ascend  some  lofty  crag,  and  stand  there  for  hours,  look 
ing  like  the  spirit  of  the  storm,  and  gazing  abroad  into  the 
troubled  waters,  seeming  to  enjoy  the  conflict  of  the  warring 
elements. 

On  a  little  promontory,  on  the  south-western  part  of  the 
island  of  Brehar,  were  some  ruins  of  an  ancient  building, 
believed  to  be  a  temple,  built  of  stone,  by  the  Druids,  many 
years  ago.  This  was  a  bleak  and  desolate  spot,  at  a  distance 
from  any  habitation,  and  exposed  to  all  the  fury  of  the  winds 
and  the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  This  spot  commanded  a 
full  view  of  the  ledge  of  rocks  on  which  the  ship  James  Mof- 
fatt  had  struck  on  that  fatal  night ;  and  it  was  a  favorite 
resort  for  the  "  Widow  Carey,"  by  which  appellation  the  un- 


MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKENS. 

fortunate  woman  was  now  generally  known.  And  here,  at 
her  request,  a  habitation  was  prepared  for  her,  among  these 
ancient  ruins,  a  place  well  suited  t»  the  gloomy  tone  of  her 


mind.  And  here,  upon  this  promontory,  was  her  home  ;  and 
in  this  dwelling,  and  upon  the  adjacent  cliffs,  she  passed  most 
of  her  hours  alone.  Her  form  could  often  be  witnessed  mov 
ing  about  among  the  crags,  when  the  fishermen  departed 
from  the  shores,  as  the  day  was  breaking  in  the  east ;  and 
on  their  return  at  evening  twilight,  her  loose  garments  would 
be  seen  floating  in  the  air  from  the  summit  of  a  high  rock. 

And  it  is  not  surprising  that  those  ignorant  and  supersti 
tious  people  were  led  gradually  to  regard  her  with  a  feeling 
of  awe,  and  to  believe  that  she  possessed  a  power  which  was 
seldom  confided  to  mortal  hands.  It  was  usual,  when  a  party 


10  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

was  about  to  embark  on  a  distant  and  adventurous  expedition 
first  to  proceed  to  the  residence  of  the  Widow  Carey,  and  asi 
her  blessing  on  the  voyage  ;  and  when  they  returned  in  safety 
from  a  successful  expedition,  they  would  smile  and  wave  their 
hands  as  they  passed  the  headland  on  which  was  her  wild 
abode. 

The  little  petrels,  which  at  certain  seasons  were  seen  in 
great  numbers  around  the  Scilly  Islands,  seemed  to  be  to  her 
an  object  of  great  interest.  She  appeared  to  have  entertained 
the  idea  that  these  birds  possessed  a  mysterious  nature  ;  that 
they  were,  indeed,  the  bodies,  in  another  form,  which  enshrined 
the  spirits  of  those  unfortunate  beings  who  had  perished  by 
shipwreck  or  other  disasters  at  sea.  She  loved  to  watch  their 
graceful  motions,  as  they  flew  over  the  waters,  and  to  listen 
to  their  shrill  cries,  even  in  the  midnight  hour,  which,  it  was 
believed,  predicted  an  approaching  tempest.  She  would  sit 
on  a  rock  and  talk  to  these  "  stormy  petrels  "  for  hours  ;  and 
often  occupied  herself  in  supplying  them  with  food  suitable  to 
their  wants.  It  is  not,  therefore,  remarkable  that  these  strange 
birds  loved  to  frequent  the  waters  that  washed  that  part  of  the 
island,  and  might  be  seen,  at  almost  any  hour,  in  large  num 
bers,  flying  backwards  and  forwards  near  the  shore,  and  hov 
ering  around,  or  apparently  resting  upon,  the  waters  which 
bathed  the  Widow  Carey's  promontory.  The  inhabitants 
believed  that  she  held  converse  with  these  birds ;  that  they 
understood  her  language,  and  replied  in  a  language  of  their 
own,  intelligible  only  to  herself;  and  henceforward  it  was  con 
sidered  not  only  an  act  of  wanton  cruelty,  but  wicked  and 
unwise,  to  kill  or  injure  one  of  those  inoffensive  petrels,  who 
seemed  to  be  objects  of  so  much  interest  and  care  to  the 
unfortunate  woman,  that  they  received  the  name  of  "  THE 
WIDOW  CAREY'S  CHICKENS." 

Many  years  passed  away,  and  another  generation  came  upon 
the  stage.  The  widow  Carey  still  lived.  She  was  unchanged 


MOTHER   CAREYS    CHICKENS.  11 

in  character  and  habits.  She  still  made  her  home  within  the 
ruins  of  the  ancient  Druidical  temple.  She  still  wandered  at 
midnight,  in  the  midst  of  storms,  and  exposed  to  the  rigors  of 
the  wintry  blast,  among  the  rocks  and  cliffs  which  overhung 
the  raging  sea.  She  still  shrank  from  any  intercourse  with 
the  inhabitants  of  the  island,  and  cherished  her  attachment  to 
the  "  stormy  petrels."  She  was  an  object  of  wonder  and  ad 
miration  to  the  children,  who  gazed,  not  without  some  sensa 
tion  of  fear,  upon  her  gaunt  figure,  now  bowed  by  age  and 
sorrow ;  upon  her  withered  cheeks,  and  upon  her  gray  eye, 
lighted  up  by  the  fires  of  insanity ;  and  the  words,  "  MOTHER 
CAREY,"  were  often  quoted  by  weak  parents  as  a  bugbear 
to  frighten  delinquent  children  into  the  fulfilment  of  their 
duties. 

But  she  was  never  known  to  do  harm  to  any  one.  On  the 
contrary,  she  had  given  many  proofs  of  a  kind  and  benevolent 
disposition,  and  was  regarded  by  the  older  inhabitants  of  the 
island  with  a  considerable  degree  of  affection,  mingled  vtith 
awe.  Indeed,  she  was  always  treated  with  kindness  by  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  island.  But  this  might  be  attributed, 
in  some  degree,  to  fear  as  well  as  to  affection.  She  was  sup 
plied  by  the  fishermen  with  all  the  necessaries  of  life.  In  the 
winter  of  her  life,  when  she  had  passed  at  least  threescore 
years  on  the  island,  and  her  pilgrimage  was  drawing  to  a 
close,  she  talked  more  frequently  to  herself  than  formerly  ; 
and  was  often  heard  to  utter,  in  an  impassioned  tone,  names 
of  persons  which  had  never  before  been  heard  by  the  inhab 
itants.  She  was  often  evidently  wandering  in  other  lands, 
among  other  people,  and  witnessing  other  and  dearer  scenes. 
But  no  clue  was  ever  given  to  her  real  name,  her  family,  or 
even  her  country. 

One  cold  and  dismal  morning  in  the  month  of  March,  as 

'  Abel  Millar,  —  a  worthy  and  venerable  fisherman,  who  well 

recollected  the  time  when  the  wreck  of  the  James  Moffatt 


12  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

took  place,  and  the  widow  Carey  was  cast  upon  those  shores, 
—  with  his  two  sons,  was  passing  the  promontory  in  his  boat, 
on  his  course  to  the  outer  fishing-ground,  he  saw  that  extraor 
dinary  female,  apparently  seated  in  a  reclining  position  on 
the  summit  of  the  crag  (a  favorite  resort  with  her),  which 
was  nearest  to,  and  overlooked  the  ledge  upon  which  the 
fatal  shipwreck  took  place.  This  circumstance,  however,  elic 
ited  no  surprise,  as  it  was  by  no  means  an  uncommon  occur 
rence.  But  when,  as  the  sun  sank  beneath  the  horizon,  and 
the  shades  of  night  began  to  fall,  Abel  returned  from  his 
expedition,  and  saw  that  she  was  still  on  the  same  spot,  and 
that  her  position  appeared  unchanged,  he  became  somewhat 
alarmed ;  and,  after  his  boat  was  secured,  accompanied  by  his 
sons  and  some  neighbors,  hastened  to  that  barren  spot  of  the 
island  which  was  regarded  as  the  domain  of  the  widow,  or  as 
she  was  now  generally  called,  "  Mother  Carey." 

But  this  singular  and  unfortunate  woman  had  reached  the 
goal  of  her  sorrows  at  last.  Her  spirit  had  shaken  off  its 
earthly  tenement,  and  had  ascended  to  "  another  and  a  better 
world."  A  smile  remained  upon  her  features  in  death ;  an 
indication  of  happiness  which  had  never  been  witnessed  by 
the  inhabitants  of  the  island  during  her  life  !  It  seemed  as 
if  she  had  died,  rejoicing  at  the  prospect  of  meeting  those  in 
the  realms  of  bliss,  whose  fate  she  had  constantly  mourned 
for  threescore  years.  Her  withered  and  fleshless  hand  grasped 
a  miniature,  richly  set  in  gold,  which  was  attached  to  her 
neck  by  a  golden  chain.  It  was  the  portrait  of  an  elegant- 
looking  man,  in  the  morning  of  life,  in  the  fulness  of  health, 
and  with  a  countenance  beaming  with  hope  and  with  joy ; 
undoubtedly  the  likeness  of  her  husband,  to  whom  she  was 
attached  by  ties  which  time  or  sorrows  could  not  destroy  or 
weaken. 

But  the  contrast,  presented  to  the  view  of  the  fishermen, 
between  the  appearance  of  the  two  individuals,  was  a  painful 


MOTHER.  CAREY'S  CHICKENS.  13 

one.  The  woman  lay  before  them,  bearing  upon  her  counte 
nance  all  the  marks  of  extreme  age,  the  thin  and  snow-white 
hair,  the  sunken  cheeks,  the  wrinkled  forehead,  and  the  atten 
uated  form  ;  and  there,  in  her  hand,  was  the  "  counterfeit  pre 
sentment  "  of  the  man,  who,  arrayed  in  all  the  attractions  of 
youth  and  beauty,  won  her  maiden  affections,  and  led  her  to 
the  nuptial  altar.  Such  was  the  contrast  which  had  been 
wrought  by  the  hand  of  time,  and  which  produced  deep  and 
unpleasant  emotions  in  the  bosoms  of  the  bystanders  ! 

Such,  says  the  legend,  was  the  fate  of  "  MOTHER  CAREY  ; " 
and  her  name  is  still  remembered  by  the  aged  Tritons,  who 
inhabit  the  wild  and  sterile  spot,  known  as  the  island  of 
Brehar ;  and  the  remains  of  the  Temple  of  the  Druids  are  still 
pointed  out,  as  the  habitation  of  the  "  weird  woman." 

The  stormy  petrels  continued  for  a  time  to  visit  the  island, 
and  to  gather  in  flocks  around  the  high  and  bleak  promontory 
—  but  their  friend,  their  guardian,  was  gone.  There  was  no 
one  to  pamper  them  now,  to  watch  their  circling  flights,  and 
to  hold  converse  with  them  in  a  language  with  which  they 
seemed  pleased,  even  if  it  could  not  be  understood ;  and  the 
fishermen  thought — it  might  be  fancy — that  the  sounds  which 
they  uttered  were  more  plaintive  than  before,  as  if  they  felt 
and  deplored  the  loss  of  their  benefactor.  But,  even  after 
death,  she  exercised  over  these  mysterious  birds  a  kind  of 
protective  influence  ;  and  not  only  the  fishermen  of  the  Scilly 
Islands,  but  the  mariner  on  the  broad  blue  ocean,  even  now, 
views  with  a  kind  of  holy  horror  any  wanton  attempts  to 
destroy  or  injure  the  inoffensive  and  social,  but  incomprehen 
sible  "  MOTHER  CAREY'S  CHICKENS." 


THE   ALLSPICE  PRIVATEER. 

"  Exeunt  omnes  !  "  said  Bunce,  with  clasped  hands. 
"  There  went  the  Fortune's  Favorite,  ship  and  crew,"  said  Cleveland, 
at  the  same  instant.  —  WALTER  SCOTT. 

IT  was  the  fourth  of  July.  The  ship  California,  of  New 
York,  was  on  her  homeward-bound  passage  from  Batavia, 
and  on  this  memorable  day  was  in  the  latitude  of  about  sev 
enteen  degrees  south,  running  down  "  the  trades ;"  and,  with  a 
cloud  of  sail  set  to  catch  the  passing  breeze,  she  was  a  gallant 
sight.  Indeed,  I  have  often  heard  it  remarked,  by  persons  of 
undoubted  taste,  that  there  is  no  sight  more  beautiful  than  a 
noble  ship  under  full  sail,  unless,  indeed,  it  be  the  graceful 
form  and  smiling  features  of  a  lovely  woman. 

There  is  probably  no  more  delightful  sailing  in  the  world, 
than  while  running  down  the  south-east  trades,  in  returning 
from  a  voyage  to  India.  The  wind  is  usually  fixed  immova 
bly  at  one  point,  near  the  south-east ;  and  steering  to  the 
north-west,  with  every  rag  of  canvas  set,  skysails,  studding 
sails  on  both  sides,  &c.,  you  cross  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
degrees  of  south  latitude,  sailing  a  distance  of  some  ten  or 
twelve  hundred  miles,  where  the  wind  is  always  steady,  blow 
ing  a  gentle  breeze,  with  no  squalls,  gales,  or  water-spouts,  to 
excite  alarm,  or  give  variety  to  the  scene.  The  sea  is  as  tran 
quil  as  the  sleep  of  innocence,  although  a  long  swell  comes 
now  and  then  lazily  rolling  along  after  you.  It  is  not  unusual 
in  light  winds  for  a  vessel  to  sail  along  in  this  way  for  a  fort 
night  or  more,  without  taking  in  a  stitch  of  canvas,  or  even 


THE    ALLSPICE    PRIVATEER.  15 

starting  a  rope  during  the  whole  of  that  time.  Sailors,  how 
ever,  complain  of  the  weather  in  these  latitudes  as  too  monot 
onous.  An  occasional  change  of  wind  or  of  weather  is 
required  to  produce  excitement,  stir  up  the  energies  of  the 
crew,  and  chase  away  the  blues,  which  are  apt  to  prevail  even 
among  seamen,  during  a  long  continuation  of  mild  and  pleasant 
weather,  and  more  especially  during  a  calm. 

In  those  days,  grog  was  considered  an  important  article 
among  the  stores  of  a  ship.  It  was  regarded  not  only  as  a 
luxury,  which  Jack  dearly  loved,  but  also  as  one  of  the  neces 
saries  of  life.  Every  ship  had  more  or  less  of  it  on  board ;  it 
was  regularly  meted  out  to  the  crew,  and,  on  extraordinary 
occasions,  a  double  allowance  was  furnished.  Its  nature  is 
better  understood  now  ;  it  is  pronounced  vile  stuff,  productive 
of  no  good,  but  of  immense  harm,  and  is  banished  from  all 
well-regulated  ships.  It  was  allowed  on  board  the  California, 
in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  time. 

On  this  day,  the  fourth  of  July,  the  California  had  the 
American  ensign  proudly  waving  at  her  peak,  in  honor  of  the 
day  which  gave  birth  to  American  Independence.  During 
the  dog  watch,  in  the  edge  of  the  evening,  the  crew,  mostly 
Englishmen  and  Irishmen,  voted  unanimously  that  Tom  Smith 
—  so  said  his  American  protection,  otherwise  known  as  Teague 
O'Connor  —  should  go  aft  and  ask  the  captain  for  an  extra  pot 
of  grog,  in  which  the  crew  might  drink  health  and  long  life  to 
America.  ( Teague  acquitted  himself  of  his  commission  to  a 
charm ;  and  the  captain,  with  a  smile,  ordered  the  steward  to 
hand  over  the  extra  allowance.  All  was  now  mirth  and  jollity 
on  board  ;  several  patriotic  songs  were  sung,  and  the  battles 
of  the  Constitution  with  the  Guerriere,  and  with  the  Java, 
and  with  the  Cyane  and  Levant,  were  rattled  off  in  a  style, 
and  with  an  emphasis  and  power,  which  would  have  elicited 
a  stare  of  wonder  from  a  worshipper  of  Grisi,  or  Jenny 
Lind. 


16  '  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

All  at  once  Tom  Smith  bawled  out,  "  Where  is  Jim  Mc- 
Dermott  ?  "  And  then  it  was  seen  that  Jim  had  suddenly 
disappeared  from  among  his  shipmates,  without  having  tasted 
the  grog  or  joined  in  their  revels  ! 

"  What 's  in  the  wind,  now  ?  "  said  Sam  Delany.  "  Jim  ! 
halloo  there  below  !  Come,  old  fellow,  rouse  out !  show  your 
ugly  phiz  among  us  ! "  But  no  answer  was  given  to  the 
summons ;  and  no  Jim  made  his  appearance  from  the  fore 
castle. 

The  crew  now  began  to  be  alarmed,  and  the  forecastle  was 
searched,  but  Jim  was  not  to  be  found.  At  length  the  stew 
ard  said  he  had  seen  Jim  going  down  into  the  half-deck,  about 
half  an  hour  before,  and  whether  he  had  come  up  or  not  was 
more  than  he  could  tell. 

Down  into  the  half-deck  went  two  or  three  of  the  jovial 
crew  ;  and,  sure  enough,  there  was  Jim  McDermott,  snugly 
stowed  away  on  a  coil  of  rigging  between  two  water-casks, 
and  looking  as  down  in  the  mouth  as  a  landsman  in  a  hur 
ricane. 

"  Halloo,  Jim  !  what  are  you  doing  there  ?  "  exclaimed  Tom. 
"  Come,  man,  lend  us  a  hand  on  the  forecastle  to  drink  success 
to  American  Independence.  The  captain  has  given  us  an 
extra  pot  of  grog — long  life  to  him!  Come,  old  fellow," 
added  Tom,  smacking  his  lips,  "  rouse  up  !  We  shall  have  a 
capital.time.  I  wish  the  fourth  of  July  would  come  every 
month  in  the  year." 

"  Every  month  ?  God  forbid  ! "  replied  Jim,  with  a  falter 
ing  voice  and  a  haggard  look.  "  The  fourth  of  July  puts  me 
in  mind  of  scenes  which  I  should  well  like  to  forget,  but  which 
are  stamped  on  my  memory  in  characters  of  living  fire.  The 
fourth  of  July,  a  day  which  fills  the  hearts  of  so  many  with 
gladness,  is  to  me  a  day  of  sorrow  and  of  mourning.  No, 
boys  !  drink  your  grog,  and  sing  your  songs,  and  crack  your 
jokes,  and  skylark,  as  much  as  you  please,  but  don't  expect 


THE    ALLSPICE    PRIVATEER.  17 

me  to  join  you.  I  don't  feel  like  it ;  and  would  much  rather 
be  by  myself." 

His  shipmates  saw  that  Jim  was  serious,  and,  with  a  del 
icacy  which  would  have  done  credit  to  persons  who  boast  of 
more  refinement  than  is  supposed  to  fall  to  the  lot  of  a  son 
of  the  ocean,  they  abstained  from  cracking  any  jokes  at  Jim's 
expense.  But  their  curiosity  was  roused  ;  they  saw  that  some 
thing  uncommon  was  the  matter  with  their  old  shipmate; 
that  the  remembrance  of  some  sad  event,  or  mishap  in  former 
years,  had  cast  a  cloud  over  his  spirits ;  and  they  determined 
to  lose  no  time  in  getting  at  the  bottom  of  his  secret. 

Jim  saw  that  there  was  no  way  of  evading  the  inquiries 
of  his  shipmates,  and  he  resigned  himself  to  his  fate  with  a 
degree  of  fortitude  which  would  have  done  honor  to  a  martyr. 
He  reluctantly  left  his  snug  and  solitary  berth  in  the  half-deck, 
and  in  a  few  minutes  was  seated  on  the  deck  of  the  forecastle, 
with  his  back  supported  by  the  bowsprit  bitts.  He  rejected, 
with  a  look  of  disgust,  the  cup  of  grog  which  was  handed  to 
him  by  Tom  Smith,  alias  Teague  O'Connor,  to  assist  in  rais 
ing  his  spirits,  and,  after  shaking  his  head  two  or  three  times, 
and  making  some  wry  faces,  which  would  have  frightened 
away  the  sea-serpent  himself,  or  Davy  Jones,  if  that  respect 
able  old  gentleman  had  been  coming  alongside,  Jim  com 
menced,  in  a  lackadaisacal  tone,  his  narrative  as  follows  : 

"  Well,  boys,  d'  ye  see,  it 's  a  number  of  years  ago,  during 
the  war  with  Great  Britain,  I  shipped  on  board  the  Allspice 
privateer,  a  clipper  hermaphrodite  brig,  of  four  guns  and 
sixty  men,  belonging  to  Xew  York,  and  sailed  on  a  cruise 
after  some  of  John  Bull's  ships.  And,  by  the  way,  shipmates, 
I  must  say  that  I  think  this  privateering  is  a  queer  kind  of 
business.  I  have  thought  a  good  deal  about  it,  and  it  does 
not  exactly  chime  in  with  irj  ideas  of  justice.  It  is  too  much 
akin  to  piracy." 


18  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

"  Well,  never  mind  that,"  exclaimed  Bill  Hodges,  rather 
tartly.  "  I  suppose  that  is  nothing  to  do  with  your  story." 

"  No,"  resumed  Jim,  "  but  I  suppose  there  is  no  harm  in 
saying  what  one  thinks.  Well,  we  had  a  curious  set  of  chaps 
on  board  the  Allspice  as  ever  you  did  see.  The  captain's 
name  was  Peter  Thunderbolt,  and  he  was  a  quarrelsome,  ill- 
natured  bully  of  a  fellow,  always  drinking  and  swearing,  and 
cutting  up  his  shines  among  the  officers  and  men.  The  first 
lieutenant's  name  was  Harry  Hardcastle.  He  was  a  short, 
thick-set,  pursy  sort  of  a  fellow,  always  bustling  about,  and  in 
everybody's  mess ;  of  a  quick  temper,  of  an  independent 
spirit,  and  brave  as  a  lion  ;  for  he  did  not  care  for  anything 
in  the  shape  of  man  or  beast.  He  could  drink  as  well  as  the 
captain ;  ay,  and  swear  a  pretty  good  stick  too.  Of  course, 
the  captain  and  he  did  not  set  horses  together  very  well. 
They  often  quarrelled  over  their  cups ;  and  I  sometimes 
thought  they  would  fight  it  out  on  the  spot.  As  to  the  other 
officers  and  prize-masters,  they  were  a  jolly  set,  and  used  to 
amuse  themselves  with  singing  songs,  playing  cards,  counting 
their  prize-money  in  advance,  and  laying  plans  for  spending 
it ;  for  they  expected  to  make  their  fortunes  during  the  cruise. 
They  could  also  toss  off  their  can  of  grog  without  flinching. 
Indeed,  I  never  witnessed  such  disgusting  profanity  and 
drunkenness  at  sea  or  ashore,  before  or  since.  I  often  thought 
some  dreadful  disaster  would  happen. 

"  Our  crew  was  made  up  of  all  kinds  of  beings  that  ever  went 
to  sea.  Some  were  soldiers,  some  were  mechanics,  some  were 
lumpers,  some  were  merchants,  some  were  broken-down  lawyers 
and  doctors,  some  were  farmers,  and  some  were  sailors.  The  sail 
ors  were  principally  Englishmen,  Irishmen,  Danes  and  Swedes. 
They  were  a  disorderly  set  of  fellows,  and  used  to  grumble  a  good 
deal  at  the  tyrannical  conduct  of  the  bully  who  had  command 
of  the  brig ;  and  he,  in  his  turn,  would  quarrel  with  the  offi 
cers  and  all  hands  almost  every  day ;  and  such  scenes  of 


THE   ALLSPICE   PRIVATEER.  19 

quarrelling,  fighting,  singing,  skylarking,  drinking,  swearing 
and  carousing,  as  there  were  on  board  the  Allspice  have  seldom 
been  witnessed,  even  on  board  a  pirate.  All  was  disorder 
and  confusion  in  that  vessel  as  long  as  her  timbers  hung  to 
gether. 

"  One  day,  a  few  degrees  to  the  eastward  of  Bermuda,  we 
fell  in  with  an  English  West  Indiaman,  which,  deeply  laden, 
had  got  separated  from  the  convoy  a  few  days  before  ;  and, 
after  lodging  a  few  shot  in  her  sides,  she  struck.  Her  cap 
tain,  however,  if  he  had  known  what  kind  of  an  enemy  he 
had  to  contend  with,  might  easily  have  beaten  us  off.  The 
poor  fellow  was  owner  of  the  ship,  too,  and  had  his  wife  on 
board,  a  very  pretty  woman ;  and  perhaps  that  was  the  rea 
son  why  he  did  not  fight.  A  fighting  ship  should  never  have 
women  on  board.  Guns  and  women  should  nevdr  go  together ; 
and  I  wonder  that  Uncle  Sam  allows  the  captains  of  his  ships 
to  take  their  wives  and  other  of  their  female  relations  with 
them  under  any  pretence.  This  practice  will  breed  some 
trouble  one  of  these  days  ;  mark  my  words. 

"  Well,  the  poor  fellow  begged  hard  that  our  skipper  would 
let  him  go.  He  had  a  cargo  of  sugar  and  rum,  which  would 
be  of  no  use  to  us,  and  the  vessel  was  such  a  dull  sailer  that 
it  was  folly  to  think  of  sending  her  in.  The  skipper's  wife, 
too,  cried  like  a  child,  and  tried  hard  to  soften  Captain  Thun 
derbolt's  heart ;  but  she  might  as  well  have  tried  to  teach 
pit}-  to  a  shark  when  his  jaws  are  about  closing  on  his  prey. 
He  ordered  some  of  the  traps  and  trinkets  to  be  taken  out, 
and  then,  with  a  malignant  grin,  told  Mr.  Hardcastle  to  set 
her  on  fire.  I  thought,  at  the  time,  that  it  could  not  be  very 
wrong  to  let  the  poor  Englishman  go  on  his  way  rejoicing, 
although  he  was  a  citizen  of  a  country  at  war  with  our  own. 

"  It  was  about  sunset  when  we  set  fire  to  the  ship,  which 
was  soon  in  a  sheet  of  flame ;  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
distress  of  the  owner,  and  the  agony  of  his  wife,  as  they  fixed 


20  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

X 

their  eyes  on  the  burning  bark,  and  beheld  the  destruction, 
the  wanton  destruction,  of  all  their  hopes.  They  not  only 
lamented  the  loss  of  their  vessel,  but  found  themselves  at  the 
mercy  of  a  lawless  set  of  privateersmen,  who,  it  would  seem, 
by  the  confusion,  and  noise,  and  profanity,  which  reigned  on 
board,  would  not  be  over-scrupulous  respecting  the  rights  of 
man,  or  woman  either ;  especially  if  the  man  or  woman 
belonged  to  the  enemy. 

"  We  cruised  about  in  these  latitudes  for  a  few  weeks,  and 
captured  three  other  vessels,  two  of  which,  after  taking  out 
the  crew,  &c.,  we  burnt,  on  the  principle  that  it  was  our  duty 
to  distress  our  enemy  all  in  our  power ;  the  other,  being  a 
fast-sailing  craft,  with  a  cargo  of  coffee  and  cochineal  on 
board,  from  La  Gruayra,  we  manned  and  ordered  for  a  port  in 
the  United  States.  We  then  steered  off  to  the  southward, 
intending  to  run  down  to  the  West  India  Islands,  and  pick 
up  what  we  could  get,  and  return  to  the  United  States ;  but 
the  cruise  of  the  Allspice  was  brought  up  with  a  round  turn, 
in  a  way  that  few  of  us  expected. 

"On  the  fourth  of  July,  1814,  we  were  about  two  hundred 
miles  east  of  Barbadoes,  with  a  light  wind  from  the  eastward, 
and  a  smooth  sea.  I  shall  never  forget  the  day.  The  occa 
sion  was  a  glorious  one,  the  Independence  of  America,  and  we 
resolved  to  celebrate  it  in  style.  Early  in  the  morning  we 
hoisted  all  the  bunting  we  could  muster,  and  fired  a  salute ; 
and  a  double  allowance  of  grog  was  served  out  to  all  hands, 
that  we  might  show  our  patriotism  by  drinking  success  to 
America  and  freedom ;  as  if  a  man's  patriotism  was  to  be 
measured  by  the  quantity  of  grog  which  he  could  carry  under 
his  jacket !  WThat  with  patriotism  and  brandy,  the  crew  and 
officers  got  pretty  far  over  the  bay.  They  felt  happy,  and 
.ready  for  a  fight ;  and  if  we  could  have  fallen  in  with  one  of 
John  Bull's  ships,  of  double  our  size,  I  verily  believe  we 
should  have  sunk  her,  or  carried  her  by  boarding,  without 


THE   ALLSPICE    PRIVATEEK.  21 

much  ceremony.  But  no  such  luck  was  ours  ;  not  a  sail  was 
in  sight,  and  for  want  of  a  regular  enemy,  d'  ye  see,  ship 
mates,  we  fell  to  fighting  among  ourselves  ! 

"  Captain  Thunderbolt  and  the  lieutenants  had  dined  to 
gether,  and  in  the  afternoon  came  on  deck,  with  their  skins 
well  filled  with  old  Madeira  and  Sherry.  Captain  Thunder 
bolt,  who  felt  ripe  for  mischief,  and  hated  to  see  the  crew 
look  so  happy,  ordered  every  man  to  his  station,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  exercising  the  guns.  The  men.  who  expected  a  holi 
day,  and  who  by  this  time  felt  pretty  independent,  grumbled 
at  this,  and  showed  no  disposition  to  obey  orders.  Mr.  Hard- 
castle,  whose  little  eyes  began  to  twinkle  (a  sure  sign  that  he 
was  ready  to  oppose  anything,  from  any  quarter,  in  the  shape 
of  an  enemy  or  an  argument),  took  side  with  the  men,  and  told 
the  captain  that  it  was  sheer  nonsense  to  go  to  work  exercis 
ing  the  guns  at  such  a  time  as  that ;  and,  in  saying  so,  he 
said  no  more  than  the  truth.  The  captain  bristled  up  at  this, 
and  called  the  lieutenant  an  insolent  scoundrel,  and  a  muti 
neer.  The  lieutenant  retorted  by  knocking  the  captain  down. 
The  rest  of  the  officers  stepped  forward  to  have  a  finger  in  the 
mess,  and,  with  a  portion  of  the  crew,  took  different  sides, 
and  as  beautiful  a  raid  was  got  up  on  board  the  Allspice,  on 
that  memorable  day,  as  the  most  thorough-going  Paddy  would 
desire  to  see  on  St.  Patrick's  Day  in  the  evening. 

"  But  Captain  Thunderbolt's  party  was  far  the  weakest,  as 
Mr.  Hardcastle  had  the  popular  side ;  and  the  question,  relat 
ing  to  the  right  of  sailors,  caused  the  greater  part  of  the  ship's 
company  to  join  the  lieutenant.  The  consequence  was,  that, 
after  a  rough-and-tumble  contest  of  some  eight  or  ten  min 
utes,  the  captain  and  his  party  were  completely  routed.  Thun 
derbolt  himself  had  his  head  broken ;  the  sword  which  he 
drew  in  the  conflict  was  shattered  by  a  blow  from  a  capstan 
bar ;  and,  as  he  scorned  to  give  in,  he  was  soon  secured  and 
pinioned,  and  required  to  promise  better  manners,  under  pain 


22 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


of  being  put  in  irons,  and  was  superseded  by  Mr.  Hardcastle 
in  command  of  the  Allspice.  The  old  fellow  stormed  dread 
fully  on  hearing  these  terms  proposed  to  him ;  used  the  most 
violent  language,  and  uttered  the  most  diabolical  threats. 
Indeed,  what  with  the  intoxicating  liquor  which  he  had  drunk, 
and  the  rage  caused  by  opposition  to  his  tyrannical  orders, 
and  the  excitement  of  the  fight,  he  had  become  a  complete 
madman,  and  thundered  forth,  amid  the  most  horrible  oaths, 
that,  if  he  were  not  released  immediately,  he  would  seize  the 
first  opportunity  to  apply  a  match  to  the  magazine,  and  blow 
the  ship's  company  sky-high  ! 


"  His  looks  and  language  terrified  some  of  the  officers,  who 
were  aware  of  his  diabolical  temper,  and  had  been  accustomed 


THE   ALLSPICE    PRIVATEER.  23 

to  obey  his  commands  without  scruple  or  delay ;  and  they 
finally  foolishly  compelled  Mr.  Hardcastle  to  relieve  him  from 
all  restraint,  believing  that  it  was  out  of  his  power  to  do  mis 
chief,  and  that  he  would  soon  recover  the  use  of  his  reason, 
which  now  seemed  to  be  entirely  overthrown.  Mr.  Hard- 
castle  unwillingly  complied  ;  but  no  sooner  was  Captain  Thun 
derbolt  at  liberty,  no  sooner  were  his  hands  released,  than  he 
snatched  a  cutlass  from  the  hand  of  a  prizemaster,  and  aimed 
a  blow  at  the  first  lieutenant,  which  laid  open  a  portion  of 
his  skull,  and  stretched  him  senseless  on  the  deck.  He  was 
then  attacked  by  several  of  his  officers,  but  he  got  his  back 
against  the  companion-way,  so  that  he  could  be  assaulted  only 
in  front,  and  defended  himself  with  desperation.  He  had 
desperate  men  to  contend  with,  however  ;  and  soon  received 
several  severe  wounds.  He  saw  that  the  fortune  of  war  was 
against  him,  and  that  the  mutineers  would  triumph,  especially 
as  none  of  the  crew,  notwithstanding  his  loud  cries  for  help, 
and  his  terrible  menaces,  came  to  his  assistance.  I  never 
shall  forget  the  wild  glare  of  his  eye,  the  dark  scowl  and  grin, 
which  his  bloody  features  exhibited,  when,  tossing  his  cutlass 
into  the  sea,  he  seized  a  boarding-pistol  which  was  at  hand, 
and  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  '  I  '11  be  revenged  on 
you,  ye  rascals  ;  dearly  shall  you  pay  for  your  mutinous  con 
duct  ! '  he  rushed  down  into  the  cabin. 

"  '  Follow  him,'  sung  out  Mr.'  Wallis,  our  second  lieuten 
ant,  for  Hardcastle  lay  on  the  deck,  groaning  and  writhing  in 
pain,  '  he  '11  do  some  mischief.  Take  away  his  pistols,  and 
put  him  in  irons,  till  he  recovers  his  senses.' 

" «  Never ! '  burst  forth  in  an  unearthly  yell  from  below. 
'  You  shall  never  put  me  in  irons.  Villains !  scoundrels ! 
prepare  to  meet  your  doom,  which  is  death,  DEATH,  DEATH  ! ' 
Fear  seemed  for  an  instant  to  palsy  the  minds  of  all  on  board 
at  these  appalling  words.  "We  felt  that  something  dreadful 


24  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

was  going  to  happen ;  but  what,  no  one  could  conjecture.  We, 
however,  were  not  long  in  suspense. 

"  '  Seize  him  !  tie  him  !  knock  him  down  !  shoot  him  !  '  ex 
claimed  half  a  dozen  voices ;  and  down  into  the  cabin  rushed 
a  body  of  men,  armed  with  cutlasses  and  pistols,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  cutting  or  shooting  down  Captain  Thunderbolt.  But 
he  had  got  the  start  of  them. 

"  I  was  standing  on  the  larboard  bulwarks  at  the  time,  with 
my  hand  on  the  main  swifter,  wondering  what  would  happen 
next,  when  I  heard  a  clash  of  arms  below  ;  the  next  moment, 
the  stifled  report  of  a  pistol  met  my  ears.  It  was  quickly 
followed  by  a  sound  as  loud  and  deafening  as  if  the  archangel 
had  blown  the  last  trumpet,  to  summon  the  living  and  the 
dead  to  judgment.  The  furious  maniac  had  set  fire  to  the 
powder  magazine,  and  the  privateer  was  blown  to  atoms  ! 

"  I  was  stunned  by  the  horrid  explosion ;  but  only  for  a  mo 
ment.  When  I  came  to  my  senses,  I  found  myself  in  the 
water.  Self-preservation  bade  me  seize  a  plank,  which  I 
found  floating  near  me,  and  then  I  looked  round  on  the  hor 
rors  of  the  scene.  These  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe ; 
indeed,  I  could  not  if  I  would ;  for  it  is  impossible  for  any 
language  to  convey  a  correct  idea  of  the  destruction  which 
was  the  work  of  that  moment.  Even  now  to  think  of  it 
unmans  me. 

"  The  Allspice,  as  I  said  before,  was  completely  blown  to 
atoms  ;  and  a  shower  of  timbers,  planks,  spars  and  men,  some 
horribly  mutilated,  and  all  lifeless,  fell  around  me.  There 
were  no  screams  of  agony,  or  shrieks  of  terror.  The  work  of 
death  had  been  done,  and  all  was  still.  The  awful  silence 
which  succeeded  that  dreadful  explosion  was  more  terrible 
than  the  moans  and  groans  of  thousands  of  human  beings. 
The  vast  column  of  smoke,  which  seemed  to  reach  the  clouds, 
was  soon  wafted  away  by  the  wind ;  and  the  sea,  for  the 
space,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  of  nearly  half  a  mile,  was  cov- 


THE   ALLSPICE    PRIVATEER.  25 

ered  with  the  fragments  of  the  wreck,  and  with  the  dead  and 
the  dying  ! 

"As  soon  as  I  could  realize  my  situation,  I  tried  to  ascertain 
if  any  besides  myself  of  the  whole  ship's  company  had  been 
saved ;  or  if  I  was  the  only  one  who,  by  a  merciful  God,  had 
been  snatched  from  the  very  jaws,  as  it  were,  of  death.  I 
looked  around,  and  saw  a  few  of  my  poor,  mutilated  shipmates 
struggle  convulsively  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  then 
sink  beneath  the  waves  to  rise  no  more.  A  few  minutes  passed 
away,  and  of  all  that  ship's  company,  but  a  few  short  minutes 
before  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  health,  the  votaries  of  mirth 
and  glee,  only  three  remained  alive.  The  rest  were  all  sum 
moned  in  a  moment,  without  preparation,  without  time  to  say 
one  prayer,  to  the  judgment-seat  of  God  ! 

"The  boatswain  of  the  Allspice,  whose  name  was  Ben  Bunt 
ing,  was  thrown  into  the  water  at  a  short  distance  from  me, 
and  escaped  unhurt,  although  his  faculties  were  so  confused 
by  the  explosion  and  the  liquor  which  he  had  freely  drunk, 
that  it  was  some  time  before  he  knew  what  he  was  about. 
Another  man,  also,  called  Bill  Sanderson,  who  was  in  the 
fore-topmast  crosstrees  when  the  brig  blew  up,  was  saved ; 
but,  poor  fellow  !  his  leg  was  broken,  and  he  was  sadly 
bruised  besides.  The  boatswain  and  I  went  to  work,  as  soon 
as  we  became  fully  aware  of  our  desolate  situation,  to  prepare 
a  raft  from  some  floating  portions  of  the  wreck,  which  we  soon 
accomplished.  We  knew  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost,  unless 
we  wished  to  share  the  fate  of  our  shipmates.  We  bound  our 
raft  together  by  pieces  of  rope,  which  we  found  attached  to 
the  floating  spars,  and  all  three  of  us  took  possession  of  it 
when  finished.  We  also  rigged  a  kind  of  mast,  and  prepared 
•a  piece  of  canvas  to  answer  the  purposes  of  a  sail.  Provisions 
we  had  none,  and,  night  coming  on,  we  thought  it  best  to  put 
off  before  the  wind,  and  endeavor  to  reach  some  of  the  wind 
ward  islands,  if  possible,  or  fall  in  with  some  vessel  in  their 
3 


26  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

vicinity.  This  was  our  only  hope.  By  means  of  a  piece  of 
board  we  managed  indifferently  well  to  steer  the  raft ;  and 
going  through  the  water,  in  our  sort  of  a  catamaran,  at  the 
rate  of  two  or  three  knots,  we  soon  lost  sight  of  the  fragments 
of  the  wreck  of  the  Allspice. 

"  I  felt  anxious  and  unhappy,  I  must  confess  ;  but  the  boat 
swain  kept  a  stiff  upper  lip.  He  was  one  of  those  men  who 
will  never  give  up  the  ship  as  long  as  there  is  a  shot  in  the 
locker ;  and  it  was  pleasant  to  see  him,  at  such  a  time,  when 
our  lives  depended  on  prudence  and  courage,  steering  our 
slender  raft,  as  calm  as  the  horse  latitudes,  and  as  cool  as  an 
iceberg  off  the  coast  of  Spitzbergen.  But  poor  Bill  Sander 
son  was  in  a  sad  condition.  His  leg  was  dreadfully  swollen, 
and  pained  him  much ;  indeed,  all  his  fortitude  seemed  to 
forsake  him.  He  laid  on  the  platform  of  the  raft,  groaning 
bitterly,  and  calling  unconsciously  on  his  wife  and  children, 
far  away.  But  his  sorrows  were  soon  ended.  He  foolishly 
put  his  leg  into  the  water  alongside,  declaring  that  there  was 
a  refreshing  coolness  in  it,  which  brought  comfort  to  his  soul. 
A  rascally  shark  had  followed  the  raft.  These  scoundrels  are 
always  at  hand  when  you  meet  with  a  shipwreck  or  any  other 
serious  disaster ;  and,  like  some  of  their  brethren  whom  I  have 
seen  on  the  land,  they  are  always  ready  to  take  advantage  of 
a  poor  sailor  in  distress.  The  monster  made  a  grab  at  Bill's 
leg  before  any  one  was  aware  that  he  was  within  hail.  The 
first  notice  we  had  was  a  terrific  scream  from  Bill,  as  soon  as 
the  monster's  jaws  closed  on  his  trapstick ;  and  if  Ben  Bunting 
had  not  seized  him  by  the  collar,  and  held  on  like  the  tooth 
ache,  the  shark  would  have  made  a  meal  of  Bill  without  cere 
mony.  As  it  was,  we  determined  that,  if  he  got  Bill,  he  should 
work  for  it.  We  both  of  us  clinched  our  shipmate,  and  tugged 
hard  to  free  him  from  the  jaws  of  the  devouring  monster. 
But  the  shark  would  not  let  go,  and  a  furious  struggle  took 
place,  —  Bill,  all  the  while,  shrieking  like  a  madman.  At 


THE   ALLSPICE   PRIVATEER.  27 

length  we  found  that  the  shark,  in  his  own  element,  was  alto 
gether  too  strong  for  us.  He  had  found  a  dainty  morsel,  and 
he  determined  to  eat  it ;  and  we  were  reluctantly  compelled 
to  let  poor  Bill  go,  or  go  with  him,  and  become  the  prey  of 
some  of  the  shark's  relations  or  friends.  We  decided  on  the 
former,  for  though  our  condition  was  bad  enough  on  the  raft, 
we  feared  it  would  not  be  bettered  in  the  salt  water.  We 
reluctantly  quitted  our  hpld  on  our  wretched  shipmate,  and, 
with  a  cry  of  agony  and  despair,  which  seems  even  now  to  be 
ringing  in  my  ears,  Bill  Sanderson  was  drawn  by  the  ruthless 
sea-monster  beneath  the  waves. 

"All  that  night  we  pursued  our  course  to  the  westward,  and 
the  next  night  and  the  following  day.  The  sun  poured  its 
fiercest  rays  upon  us ;  and  our  sufferings,  for  want  of  water, 
I  shall  not  attempt  to  relate.  Shipmates,  may  you  never  ex 
perience  the  sufferings  which  fell  to  my  lot  on  that  raft !  On 
the  fourth  day  after  the  destruction  of  the  Allspice,  I  became 
insane  at  times,  and  I  verily  believe  should  have  jumped  over 
board,  had  I  not  been  restrained  by  Ben  Bunting.  The  land 
of  Barbadoes  at  length  appeared  in  sight,  the  announcement 
of  which  by  Ben,  who  by  this  time  was  pretty  far  gone  too, 
restored  me  somewhat  to  my  senses.  We  ran  the  raft  upon 
the  shore,  heedless  of  the  surf,  which  broke  high  on  the  beach, 
and,  had  it  not  been  for  the  negroes  belonging  to  the  planta 
tion  on  which  we  were  thrown,  we  must  have  been  drowned 
at  last.  We  were,  however,  by  the  will  of  Providence,  re 
served  for  other  purposes.  The  manager  of  the  plantation 
treated  us  with  kindness,  and  listened  to  our  tale  with  interest 
and  pity.  He  furnished  us  with  food,  supplied  us  with  cloth 
ing,  and,  after  we  had  recruited  our  health  and  spirits,  he  pro 
cured  a  passage  for  us  to  St.  Bartholomews,  a  neutral  port 
whence  we  found  no  difficulty  in  getting  to  the  United  States. 

"  But  since  that  time,"  continued  Jim,  "  the  fourth  of  July 
never  comes  along,  without  bringing  with  it  the  sad  remem- 


28 


SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 


brance  of  the  terrible  event  which  I  have  just  related.  And 
when  I  see  the  cup  of  grog  pass  round,  and  listen  to  the 
sounds  of  mirth  and  jollity,  and  hear  the  hearty  laugh,  or  the 
patriotic  song,  I  see  before  me  the  mangled  corpses  of  my 
shipmates,  and  forthwith  retire  to  some  snug,  secluded  place, 
where  I  can  give  loose  to  the  agonizing  feelings  which  rack 
my  bosom,  or  seek  comfort  by  praying  unto  the  most  merci 
ful  God." 


HARPOONING  A  SPANIARD. 

He  seized  a  spit  —  he  made  a  pass, 

And  drilled  a  hole  through  Hudibras  !  —  BUTLER. 


THE  harbor  of  Havana,  on  the  north  side  of  the  island  of 
Cuba,  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  finest  in  the  world.  The  en 
trance  is  narrow,  hardly  allowing  more  than  two  vessels  to 
pass  at  the  same  time  ;  but,  within,  it  becomes  more  spacious, 
and  beyond  that  portion  of  the  city  where  are  located  the 
3* 


30  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

quay  and  the  lancfing-place,  it  expands  into  a  beautiful  bay, 
of  some  two  or  three  miles  in  diameter,  constituting  a  noble 
and  safe  anchorage  for  vessels  of  the  largest  size.  The  harbor 
is  defended  by  fortifications  of  great  extent,  constructed  at  an 
enormous  expense,  and  at  all  times  well  garrisoned.  The  Moro 
Castle,  the  frowning  battlements  of  which  look  down  upon  the 
vessels  as  they  enter  or  leave  the  harbor,  is  a  fortification  of 
such  strength  as  to  be  regarded  impregnable  from  the  sea. 
It  is  built  on  a  craggy  limestone  cliff,  and  effectually  com 
mands  the  passage.  It  is  here  that  the  lighthouse  is  situated, 
which  can  be  seen  at  a  considerable  distance  in  the  offing. 
The  view,  ever-changing,  new  and  strange,  which  is  pre 
sented  to  the  eye  of  the  stranger  on  entering  the  port,  is 
deeply  interesting,  and  well  calculated  to  excite  his  admira 
tion. 

The  waters  abound  with  fish  of  various  kinds,  which  may 
be  seen  in  the  night,  as  they  sport,  or  seek  their  prey  near 
the  surface  of  the  water,  leaving  behind  them  a  sparkling  and 
golden  track ;  but  the  natives  of  that  city  are  too  indolent  or 
unskilful  to  take  them,  and  Havana  is  supplied  with  fresh 
fish  by  the  industry  of  the  Yankees,  who  bring  them  over  in 
fishing-smacks  from  the  Tortugas  Banks,  or  the  Florida  Reefs, 
and  realize  a  handsome  profit  by  their  enterprise.  I  have 
heard  that  sharks  are  sometimes  seen  in  that  port,  but  al 
though  I  have  often  visited  the  place,  I  never  saw  one.  There 
is  no  apparent  reason,  however,  why  they  should  not  enter  the 
harbor,  and  prowl  about  among  the  shipping,  and  pick  up  a 
stray  piece  of  beef,  or  a  tough  old  sailor,  if  they  should  happen 
to  fall  in  their  way.  But  to  my  story. 

Some  twenty  or  five-and-twenty  years  ago,  —  I  was  never 
an  adept  at  dates,  —  the  ship  Cassandra,  of  Salem,  entered 
the  harbor  of  Havana,  dropped  her  anchor,  and  in  a  few  hours 
was  snugly  moored,  under  the  direction  of  "  Old  John,"  the 
assistant  harbor-master.  The  next  morning,  that  important 


HARPOONING   A   SPANIARD.  31 

functionary,  the  cook,  a  remarkably  dark-complexioned  gen 
tleman,  by  the  way,  approached  the  chief  mate,  in  a  state  of 
great  perturbation,  his  cheeks  blue  with  astonishment,  and  his 
eyes  as  big  as  saucers.  He  held  in  one  hand  a  piece  of  a 
rope,  and  with  the  other  pointed  to  the  end  of  it,  which  bore 
the  mark  of  having  been  recently  submitted  to  the  action  of  a 
sharp  knife. 

"  Massa  Mate  !  "  said  Cuffy,  in  tremulous  voice,  "  is  there 
sharks  in  Havana  ?  " 

"  Sharks  !  "  exclaimed  that  officer,  whose  name  was  Night 
ingale,  "  I  don't  know ;  I  suppose  so,  of  course.  What  do 
you  ask  that  for,  Cuffy  ?  " 

"  Why,  rnassa,  look  here  a  minute  !  Last  night  I  took  a 
good  large  piece  of  salt  junk  from  the  harness  cask,  tied  this 
strong  rope  round  'em,  with  a  timber  hitch,  well  jammed,  and 
threw  'em  over  the  bows  to  freshen.  Jus'  now  I  go  get  'em 
to  put  'em  in  the  copper,  and  I  no  find  'em !  Shark,  I  sup 
pose,  bite  off  the  rope,  all  same  as  cut  it  with  a  knife.  Look 
here,  massa  ! " 

"  Ah  !  "  said ,  Mr.  Nightingale,  after  examining  the  rope, 
"  this  matter  must  be  looked  to.  The  fellow  who  bit  off  that 
rope  had  sharp  teeth  and  long  ones  too.  It  is  not  pleasant 
to  have  such  a  voracious  monster  cruising  around  the  ship, 
seeking  whom  he  may  devour.  He  would  make  nothing  of 
taking  off  a  man's  leg  or  an  arm,  if  an  opportunity  offered. 
We  must  try  to  catch  the  rascal,  Cuffy,  and  teach  him  better 
manners." 

In  the  course  of  the  day,  Mr.  Nightingale  mustered  the 
harpoon  and  caused  it  to  be  ground.  He  attached  to  it  a  few 
fathoms  of  rattling-stuff,  and  placed  it  on  the  forecastle.  At 
night  he  told  "  the  doctor  "  to  get  another  piece  of  beef  and 
tow  it  over  the  bows  to  freshen,  which  was  done  by  the  grin 
ning  cook,  who  viewed  with  delight  the  preparations  making 
for  capturing  the  sea-robber. 


82  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

When  the  watch  was  set  at  eight  bells,  Mr.  Nightingale 
charged  the  men  to  keep  a  good  look-out  in  their  watch  for 
the  beef,  and  if  they  should  see  any  large  fish  approaching, 
or  swimming  around  the  ship  during  the  night,  to  give  him 
a  call. 

Now  everybody  who  has  been  in  Havana  knows  that  the 
water  in  that  harbor  is  remarkably  luminous,  and  any  object 
swimming  in  the  water,  even  if  the  night  is  quite  dark,  may 
be  seen  at  a  considerable  distance ;  as  it  moves  along,  a  lumi 
nous  phosphorescent  wake  is  left  behind,  resembling  the  tail  of 
a  comet. 

It  was  about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  the  man 
who  had  the  watch  abruptly  entered  the  mate's  state-room, 
and  informed  that  vigilant  officer  that  a  large  fish  appeared 
to  be  slowly  approaching  the  bows  of  the  ship. 

"  Ah,  ha  !  "  said  the  mate,  "  that  must  be  Mr.  Shark  com 
ing  for  his  breakfast,  without  doubt.  But  I  '11  give  him  a 
meal  which  he  will  find  it  difficult  to  digest !  "  He  sprung 
from  his  berth,  and  in  half  a  minute  was  looking  over  the 
bows  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the  watch.  And  there  he 
saw  a  large  fish,  moving  gently  along  on  the  very  surface  of  the 
water,  and  gradually  approaching  the  ship  on  the  starboard 
bow,  near  the  precise  spot  from  which  the  piece  of  salt  junk 
was  suspended. 

Mr.  Nightingale  grasped  the  harpoon  with  a  muscular  arm, 
as  a  well-tried  knight  in  days  of  old  would  grasp  his  lance  in 
a  deadly  encounter,  and,  looking  over  the  cat-head,  he  kept 
his  eye  fixed  upon  the  sparkling  and  luminous  body  approach 
ing.  "A  little  nearer,"  he  muttered  to  himself,  " a  little 
nearer,  Don  Whiskerando,  and  then .  He  is  a  noble  fel 
low,  nine  feet  in  length  if  he 's  an  inch,  and  would  take  off 
a  man's  leg  quicker  and  cleaner  than  a  hospital  surgeon.  I  'in 
sure  of  him  now.  One  fathom  nearer,  and  I  '11  drive  the  iron 
right  through  his  shoulders !  " 


HARPOONING   A   SPANIARD.  33 

And  this  was  no  empty  vaunt,  for  Nightingale  was  a  stal 
wart  fellow,  with  the  limbs  and  muscles  of  a  gladiator,  and 
could  throw  the  harpoon  or  grainse  with  unerring  precision. 

The  uncautious  object  of  this  attack  had  now  approached 
within  the  desired  distance,  and  his  snout  was  within  half  a 
fathom  of  the  beef,  when  Nightingale,  exclaiming  in  a  voice 
of  thunder,  "  Now  for  it !  "  drove  the  harpoon,  with  fatal 
accuracy  and  tremendous  force,  into  the  living  object  beneath 
him. 

"  HAUL  IN,  JACK  ! "  shouted  he  to  the  watch  on  deck,  as 
the  instrument  left  his  hands,  "  I  've  got  him  fast !  " 

But  what  was  his  astonishment,  what  was  his  horror,  to 
hear  from  the  depths  of  the  waters,  as  the  harpoon  sought  its 
victim,  a  shriek,  a  yell,  supernaturally  loud  and  thrilling,  as 
if  giving  utterance  in  a  moment  to  an  age  of  agony !  The 
shriek  ended  abruptly  in  a  guttural,  stifling  sound,  as  if  it 
was  the  precursor  and  companion  of  the  death  of  a  human 
being ! 

For  a  moment  Nightingale  was  paralyzed  with  fear  and 
wonder ;  but  he  was  a  resolute  fellow,  who  seldom  lost  his 
presence  of  mind,  and  being  now  aware  of  the  character  of 
the  animal  he  had  harpooned,  he  quickly  adopted  a  course  of 
action.  He  drew  forth  his  jack-knife  and  severed  the  rope 
which  was  attached  to  the  harpoon.  He  bade  the  only  wit 
ness  to  the  singular  transaction,  an  honest  old  tar,  be  silent  as 
a  mummy,  on  pain  of  being  changed  into  a  dog-vane,  and 
placed  at  the  royal-mast-head.  He  then  walked  slowly  aft, 
dived  below,  turned  in  and  went  to  sleep ! 

On  that  day  there  was  much  conjecture  afloat  among  the 
crews  of  the  ships,  in  relation  to  the  terrible  shriek  which  was 
heard  all  over  the  harbor,  and  by  many  people  on  the  shore ; 
but  nothing  satisfactory  was  elicited.  Some  regarded  it  as 
proof  that  a  horrible  crime  had  been  committed,  while  others 
supposed  it  was  a  supernatural  visitation,  ominous  of  some 


34 


SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 


terrible  disaster.  The  problem,  however,  was  solved  a  few 
days  after,  when  the  body  of  a  swarthy  Spaniard,  naked,  was 
found  floating  on  the  water,  with  a  death-dealing  harpoon 
sticking  in  his  vitals  ! 

The  affair  made  a  great  noise  in  Havana  at  the  time,  and 
is  doubtless  well  remembered  by  the  old  traders  and  residents. 
A  reward  was  offered  by  Vives,  the  Governor  General,  for  the 
apprehension  of  the  murderer,  or  for  any  information  which 
would  tend  to  elucidate  the  mystery.  But  as  Mr.  Nightingale 
and  Jack  kept  their  own  counsel,  the  authorities  were  unable 
to  ascertain  the  facts  of  the  case. 


OOLOOLOO, 

THE    MERMAID    OF    THE    RIDING    ROCKS. 

Around  she  pointed  to  a  spacious  cave, 

Whose  only  portal  was  the  keyless  wave  ; 

A  hollow  archway,  by  the  sun  unseen, 

Save  through  the  billows'  glassy  veil  of  green, 

In  some  transparent  ocean  holiday, 

When  all  the  finny  people  are  at  play  — 

Wiped  with  her  hair  the  brine  from  Torquil's  eye-, 

And  clapped  her  hands  with  joy  at  his  surprise. 

BTRON. 

ONE  beautiful  star-light  night,  the  ship  Chorister,  of  New- 
buryport,  was  lying  to,  with  her  main-topsail  to  the  mast,  in 
three  fathoms  and  a  half  of  water,  near  the  western  edge  of 
the  Great  Bahama  Bank,  waiting  for  daylight,  in  order  to  be 
able  to  leave  the  bank  for  the  Gulf  Stream,  without  danger  of 
being  wrecked  on  the  Orange  Keys,  the  Riding  Rocks,  or  other 
dangerous  reefs,  which  abound  in  that  quarter,  and  which  have 
caused  the  loss  of  many  a  good  and  substantial  vessel.  The 
water  was  as  smooth  as  the  surface  of  a  secluded  fresh  water 
pond,  and,  even  in  the  night,  owing  to  the  smooth  and  firm 
bottom,  composed  of  fine  particles  of  coral  limestone,  white 
as  the  driven  snow,  it  looked  like  a  well-bleached  damask 
table-cloth  spread  over  an  immeasurable  surface. 

From  twelve  to  four  o'clock,  A.  M.,  the  starboard  watch 
were  on  deck.  They  had  nothing  to  do.  It  was  not  even 
necessary  to  steer  the  ship,  as  she  was  lying  to ;  and  the  watch 
collected  together  on  the  forecastle,  and  endeavored  to  derive 


36  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

amusement  from  conversation  on  subjects  interesting  to  seamen, 
or  in  repeating  strange  and  wondrous  adventures,  which  they 
averred  had  occurred  to  them  in  the  course  of  their  nautical 
lives. 

Some  curious  tales  were  told ;  when  Ben  Ridgerope  called 
out  with  startling  energy,  "  I  say,  shipmates,  did  any  of  you 
ever  see  a  mermaid  ?  " 

"  I  never  did,"  replied  Tom  Spunyarn,  in  a  gruff  voice. 

"  Nor  I " —  "  Nor  I "  —  "  Nor  I "  —  shouted  three  or  four 
more  rough-looking  tritons. 

"  And  what  is  more  to  the  point,"  said  Tom,  "  I  don't  be 
lieve  anybody  else  ever  did." 

"  Don't  be  too  sure  of  that,  my  hearty !  "  exclaimed  Ben. 
"  Mermaids  have  been  frequently  seen  on  the  craggy  shores 
of  the  Riding  Rocks,  and  the  Orange  Keys  —  ay,  and  mer- 
men,  too." 

"  Give  us  a  yarn  about  them,  do,  Ben,"  exclaimed  Dennis 
Mahony,  who  had  a  decided  turn  for  the  marvellous. 

"  Yes,  Ben,"  remarked  Tom,  "  spin  us  a  yarn  about  them, 
if  you  have  got  one ;  we  are  not  obliged  to  believe  it,  you 
know.  But  don't  be  too  high-flown,  now.  We  have  not,  all 
of  us,  been  to  college." 

"  You  may  do  as  you  like  about  believing  it,"  replied  Ben ; 
"  but  I  will  tell  you  a  story  as  I  heard  it,  and  if  it  is  not  as 
true  as  a  lunar  observation  taken  by  old  Captain  Coffin,  of 
Nantucket,  when  the  sun  and  moon  are  only  forty-five  de 
grees  apart,  then  I  've  only  to  say,  it 's  not  my  fault." 

"  Come,  heave  ahead,  then,  my  hearty,"  said  Tom,  "  and 
save  the  tide." 

Ben  thrust  into  his  capacious  jaws  a  goodly  plug  of  the 
Virginia  weed,  slewed  himself  round  into  an  easier  position  on 
the  windlass  end,  and,  without  further  preface,  commenced  his 
story. 


OOLOOLOO.  37 

"  Well,  then,  you  must  know,  shipmates,  that  some  dozen 
or  fifteen  years  ago,  the  brig  Yankee  Doodle,  bound  on  a 
voyage  to  Havana  and  Europe,  was  becalmed  in  the  Gulf 
Stream  for  three  days,  and  one  bright  morning  found  herself 
within  half  a  mile  of  the  Riding  Rocks.  There  happened  to 
be  no  current  of  any  consequence,  at  the  time,  and  the  ship 
hardly  changed  her  position  for  several  hours.  All  at  once 
the  crew  saw  some  strange-looking  creatures  crawl  up  out  of 
the  sea,  as  if  to  sun  themselves  on  the  reefs.  At  first,  the 
captain  thought  they  were  turtles,  but,  on  looking  through  his 
spy-glass,  he  declared  they  were  seals,  and  ordered  the  stern 
boat  to  be  lowered,  calculating  to  have  some  fine  sport  in 
knocking  them  on  the  head.  But  after  he  had  put  off,  and 
drew  towards  them,  he  found  they  were  not  seals,  for  the  up 
per  part  of  their  bodies,  and  their  faces,  looked  just  like 
Christian  human  beings ;  besides  which,  they  had  long  hair, 
of  a  greenish  color,  and  some  of  them  wore  beards,  which  had 
a  marvellous  resemblance  to  sea-weed  both  in  color  and  mate 
rial  ! 

"  'They  are  mermaids,  as  sure  as  my  name  is  Nat  Nich 
ols  ! '  exclaimed  the  captain.  '  Avast  pulling,  men  !  Back 
water  with  the  starboard  oars  !  Give  way  with  the  larboard, 
men  !  Let  us  get  on  board  again  as  fast  as  possible  ! '  And 
sure  enough,  the  cowardly  lubbers  returned  to  the  brig  in  as 
great  a  hurry  as  if  the  sea-serpent  himself  was  in  chase  of 
them  with  his  jaws  wide  open ! 

"  The  second  mate  of  the  ship  was  as  likely  a  young  fellow 
as  ever  knotted  a  rope-yarn.  His  name  was  Jack  Robbins. 
He  feared  nothing  in  the  shape  of  man,  or  woman  either,  for 
that  matter ;  and,  more  than  all,  he  was  a  true-hearted  Yan 
kee,  born  and  brought  up  among  the  green  mountains  of  Ver 
mont.  He  felt  anxious  to  know  what  kind  of  animals  those 
were  upon  the  reef;  said  he  had  long  wanted  to  see  a  mermaid. 
4 


38  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

and  asked  leave  of  the  captain  to  scull  the  boat  to  the  rocks 
and  satisfy  his  curiosity. 

"  The  captain  told  him  that  if  he  wished  to  go,  he  should 
not  object,  but  advised  him  to  stay  where  he  was,  adding, '  But, 
if  you  persist  in  going,  Jack,  and  get  knocked  in  the  head  or 
carried  off  by  those  strange  and  wicked-looking  creatures, 
who  are  real  cannibals,  remember  the  fault  is  your  own.  Do 
not  lay  your  misfortunes  at  my  door.' 

"  Jack  declared  that  whatever  might  be  the  result,  he  should 
blame  nobody  but  himself.  He  refused  a  pair  of  pistols, 
which  the  captain  kindly  offered  him,  and  grasping  a  heaver, 
which,  he  said,  was  as  good  a  weapon  as  he  wished,  and  one 
which  he  knew  how  to  use,  he  jumped  into  the  boat,  and 
sculled  lustily  towards  the  rocks. 

"  There  were  about  half  a  dozen  of  those  queer-looking 
creatures  loafing  about  the  reef  at  this  time,  and,  as  Jack 
Bobbins  drew  near  them,  he  had  time  to  examine  their  ap 
pearance,  and  arrange  his  plan  of  attack.  He  thought  it  best 
to  land  on  the  rocks,  at  some  distance  from  the  spot  which 
they  had  chosen  for  their  lounge,  or  promenade,  or  whatever 
you  may  please  to  call  it,  and  then  advance  towards  them 
cautiously,  by  clambering  over  the  cliffs.  He  remarked,  with 
some  surprise,  that  they  looked  marvellously  like  men  and 
women ;  and  one  in  particular,  who  sported  a  long  and  majes 
tic  beard,  had  quite  a  respectable  appearance.  '  I  tell  you 
what  it  is,  old  fellow,'  said  Jack  to  himself,  '  I  hope  we  shall 
be  better  acquainted  before  we  part.' 

"  He  landed  on  the  rocks,  made  fast  the  boat's  painter  to  a 
projecting  cliff  with  a  couple  of  half-hitches,  and,  seizing  his 
heaver,  warily  approached  the  animals  which  had  attracted 
his  attention.  As  he  advanced  towards  them,  however,  they, 
one  after  another,  disappeared  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
ocean  —  all  but  two,  the  "one  with  the  venerable  beard,  and 
another  with  a  very  sweet  countenance,  whose  features  and 


OOLOOLOO. 


39 


bust  bore  a  strong  resemblance  to  those  of  a  young  and  hand 
some  female.  Jack  saw,  at  once,  that  this  was  a  veritable 
mermaid.  There  could  be  no  doubt  about  it,  for  he  had  read 
many  authentic  descriptions  of  the  appearance  and  habits  of 
these  interesting  inhabitants  of  the  deep. 

"  After  a  short  consultation,  as  it  appeared  to  Jack,  between 
the  merman  and  the  young  mermaid,  the  old  fellow  rolled  off 
the  rocks  into  the  sea,  and  was  off  like  a  shot.  The  mer 
maid,  however,  kept  her  post  like  a  heroine,  at  the  edge  of 
the  water,  and  looked  kindly  at  Jack  Bobbins  with  a  cap 
tivating  smile.  He  now  saw  it  had  been  arranged  that  he 


should  hold  a  tete-a-tete  with  the  fair  daughter  of  the  ocean, 
and  being  a  youth  of  great  gallantry,  and  a  genuine  sailor 


40  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

into  the  bargain,  he  threw  down  his  heaver,  made  a  polite 
bow,  and  put  on  his  very  best  looks  for  the  occasion. 

"  When  he  had  reached  a  sort  of  platform,  within  a  few 
paces  of  the  spot  where  the  mermaid  reclined  on  the  rocks, 
smiling  sweetly  upon  him,  with  her  head  and  the  upper  por 
tion  of  her  body  out  of  water,  Jack  stopped,  and  thought  it 
was  time  to  commence  the  parley.  He  made  another  bow,  — 
for  Jack  prided  himself  on  his  politeness,  —  touched  his 
tarpaulin,  and  in  his  blandest  manner  commenced  the  conver 
sation. 

" '  My  dear  young  lady,  I  am  happy  to  make  your  ac 
quaintance.  I  hope  you  enjoy  good  health,  and  can  express 
yourself  in  good  old  English,  without  much  inconvenience.' 

"  The  mermaid  nodded  her  head  gently,  as  much  as  to  say 
that  she  was  in  good  health,  and  could  speak  good  old  English 
without  any  inconvenience  whatever.  She  seemed  quite 
pleased  with  the  adventure,  and  her  eyes  sparkled  like  rubies 
of  great  price,  which,  indeed,  they  somewhat  resembled  in 
color.  Jack's  surprise  may  be  imagined. 

"  *  Do  I  understand  you  aright  ?  '  said  he.  '  Do  you  mean 
to  say  that  you  can  really  understand  and  speak  English  ? ' 

"  The  mermaid  looked  at  him  earnestly  for  a  moment,  and, 
then,  in  a  voice  more  musical  than  anything  he  had  ever 
heard  before,  replied,  with  an  arch  look,  '  I  assure  you,  sir, 
upon  my  honor,  that  I  can  both  understand  and  speak  Eng 
lish.' 

"  '  Well,  this  beats  everything  I  ever  met  with  before  ! '  said 
Jack  to  himself.  « The  adventure  has  a  comical  beginning, 
any  how ;  and  what  will  be  the  end  of  it  I  cannot  even 
guess.'  Then  again  addressing  the  mermaid,  he  said,  '  Will 
you  be  kind  enough  to  tell  me  your  name,  if  you  have  any  ? ' 

"  *  They  call  me  Oolooloo ! '  she  replied,  with  a  witching 
expression. 

"  <  Oolooloo  ! '  echoed  Jack.    <  That  is  a  singular  name.     I 


OOLOOLOO.  41 

hope  you  will  not  think  me  impertinent,  if  I  ask  you,  also, 
where  you  live  ?  ' 

"  '  Live ! '  exclaimed  the  mermaid,  raising  one  of  her  deli 
cate,  but  well-proportioned  arms,  and  pointing  with  her  finger 
to  the  surface  of  the  water.  '  Down  —  down  —  Oolooloo 
lives  far  down  among  the  coral  caves ! ' 

"  '  And  how  came  you  so  far  away  from  your  home  ?  '  in 
quired  the  wondering  sailor. 

"  '  0,  we,  who  dwell  in  the  pleasant  retreats,  far,  far  beneath 
the  ocean  wave,  sometimes  like  to  quit,  for  a  time,  our  joyous 
abodes,  and  mount  upwards  into  the  regions  of  air.' 

"  Her  voice  was  melody  itself,  and  resembled  the  richest 
notes  of  a  flute ;  this,  added  to  a  child-like  simplicity  of  man 
ner,  and  a  youthful  and  pleasing  countenance,  completely 
charmed  our  young  sailor.  He  felt  convinced  that  Oolooloo, 
as  she  called  herself,  was  as  kind  and  gentle  a  creature  as 
ever  sported  in  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  and  that  her  language 
was  the  language  of  truth. 

"  '  I  should  like  right  well  to  see  your  habitation,'  said  Jack. 
'  You  must  lead  a  strange  humdrum  sort  of  a  life  away  down 
there  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.' 

"  '  0,  come  with  me,  kind  mariner,  come  with  me ! '  said 
Oolooloo.  *  I  will  conduct  you  there  with  despatch  and  safety. 
I  will  gladly  bear  you  through  the  depths  of  ocean  to  our  coral 
groves,  and  our  magnificent  grottos  and  palaces,  where  dwell, 
amid  gay  delights  and  tranquil  joys,  the  guileless  children  of 
the  sea.  0,  come  with  me,  kind  mariner,  come  with  me !  ' 

"  Jack  Bobbins  was  a  little  startled  at  this  invitation,  so 
earnestly  given  by  the  interesting  Oolooloo.  He  was  con 
vinced,  by  actual  experiment,  that,  although  he  could  swim 
like  a  duck,  he  did  not  possess  the  faculty  of  breathing  freely 
with  his  head  under  water.  He  looked  at  the  gentle  mermaid 
as  if  he  doubted  the  possibility  of  complying  with  her  request. 
Oolooloo  saw  his  hesitation. 


42  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

"  « No  harm  will  come  to  you,'  said  she,  '  believe  me ;  for, 
in  less  than  a  minute  after  we  leave  these  upper  regions,  we 
shall  reach  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  where  the  ocean-spirits 
dwell.  I  will  show  you  our  pleasant  abodes ;  walk  with  you 
through  the  forests  of  coral ;  make  you  acquainted  with  my 
dearest  friends;  regale  you  with  our  choicest  viands;  and 
then,  if  you  wish  it,  return  you  in  safety  to  this  very  spot.' 

"  When  Oolooloo  talked  of  walking  with  him  through  the 
coral  groves,  he  very  naturally  turned  his  eyes  from  her  face 
to  that  part  of  her  form  where  the  powers  of  locomotion  are 
usually  situated.  But  he  saw  there  no  apparatus  for  walking. 
On  the  contrary,  her  figure  seemed  to  taper  off  gradually,  and 
terminated  in  what  appeared  to  be  the  tail  of  a  '  good-sized 
shark ! ' 

"  *  I  cannot  doubt  your  power  to  swim  rapidly  through  the 
water,'  replied  Jack  Bobbins,  *  but  you  will  excuse  me  for 
thinking  that  you  must  cut  a  queer  figure  when  walking  or 
running  on  the  land,  or  dancing  a  hornpipe.' 

"  Oolooloo  laughed  heartily  at  Jack's  remarks,  and  by  this 
act  exposed  a  set  of  pearly  teeth  '  for  which  sovereignty 
would  have  pawned  her  jewels ;'  and  by  thus  indulging  her 
mirth,  won  Jack's  confidence  to  a  greater  extent  than  might 
have  been  the  case  in  a  conversation  of  an  hour ;  foj*  Jack 
liked  a  good  laugh  himself,  and  believed  that  there  could  be 
no  guile  in  those  who  freely  indulged  in  hearty  laughter. 

"  *  0,  I  will  tell  you  all  about  that  when  you  reach  my 
home,'  said  she.  '  You  may,  perhaps,  find  that  mermaids 
are  not  such  monsters  as  you  sailors  believe  us  to  be.  Will 
you  go  with  me  ?  O,  say  yes  !  If  you  do  not  like  us,  or  our 
dwellings,  I  will  bring  you  back  in  a  moment.' 

"  *  I  have  a  great  mind  to  go  with  you,'  said  Jack,  hesitat 
ingly.  '  You,  surely,  can  have  no  object  in  deceiving  me,  and 
you  look  the  picture  of  innocence  and  truth.  But,  if  misfor 
tune  should  befall  me,  what  would  become  of  my  poor  mother  ? ' 


OOLOOLOO.  4d 

"  *  Misfortune  will  not  befall  you,  I  assure  you,  on  the  word 
of  a  mermaid,'  said  Oolooloo,  earnestly.  '  Come  !  Come  ! 
Come ! ' 

"  I  have  already  said  that  Jack  Bobbins  possessed  a  fearless 
disposition,  as  well  as  a  susceptible  heart ;  he  was,  also,  fond 
of  adventure ;  and  there  was  a  charm  in  the  voice  and  appear 
ance  of  the  mermaid,  which  he  found  impossible  to  resist.  He 
accordingly  accepted  the  hand  which  Oolooloo  extended  to 
wards  him ;  the  twain  plunged  beneath  the  surface,  and  darted 
through  the  water  at  a  rapid  rate,  nor  stopped  until  they 
reached  the  home  of  the  mermaids,  at  the  bottom  of  the  Gulf 
Stream ! 

"  By  this  time,  Jack  was  nearly  out  of  breath,  and  some 
minutes  elapsed  before  he  could  recover  himself  sufficiently  to 
look  around  him.  When  he  did,  he  found  that  the  lady 
had  kept  faith  with  him ;  he  was  in  a  beautiful  palace,  or 
rather  grotto,  surrounded  by  splendors  of  a  character  superior 
to  what  the  mind  of  man  can  conceive.  The  grotto  was  of 
coral,  of  the  most  beautiful  description,  and  of  various  hues, 
and  it  was  thickly  studded  with  precious  stones,  which  quietly 
reflected  the  soft  light  that  penetrated  through  the  vast  waters 
of  ocean.  From  the  roof  hung,  in  countless  numbers,  clusters 
of  delicate  marine  animals  of  the  simplest  structure,  and  in 
front  of  the  grotto  was  an  extensive  marine  forest,  where  trees 
and  plants,  of  a  most  fantastic  character,  abounded,  and  through 
which  were  numerous  paths,  paved  with  pearls  and  various- 
colored  shells,  forming  a  rich  mosaic,  intersecting  each  other 
at  right  angles.  Some  of  them  led  to  a  garden  laid  out  with 
much  taste,  which  yielded  fruits  and  flowers  in  great  pro- 
fuseness,  and  of  a  flavor  and  beauty  far  superior  to  anything 
which  Jack  ever  met  with  above  water.  But  what  surprised 
him  most,  was  to  see  animals,  wonderfully  resembling  men 
and  women  in  every  respect,  clad  in  modest  and  becoming 


44  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

garments,  promenading  through  the  walks,  admiring  the  pro 
ductions  of  the  garden,  dancing  in  the  grottos,  or  reclining  in 
the  arbors  which  were  seen  at  the  termination  of  every  path. 

"  Oolooloo  witnessed  Jack's  astonishment  with  a  smile,  and, 
without  saying  a  word,  floundered  off  with  a  most  ungraceful 
gait,  to  another  apartment,  and  left  the  adventurous  sailor  to 
pursue,  uninterrupted,  his  cogitations.  Jack  marked  her  as 
she  retired,  and  could  not  help  uttering  aloud  a  regret,  that 
the  fair  Oolooloo  partook,  to  such  an  extent,  in  her  form  and 
proportions,  of  the  nature  of  a  fish ;  of  a  fish  too,  to  which 
sailors  have  a  mortal  aversion  —  a  shark.  He  was  wonder 
ing  what  kind  of  a  figure  she  would  make  in  a  cotillon  at  a 
ball-room,  or  in  a  promenade  on  Boston  Common,  when  the 
water-nymph  again  entered  the  room.  But  what  a  change  a 
few  short  minutes  had  effected !  She  was  no  longer  half  a 
fish  and  half  a  woman.  The  fish  had  disappeared,  and  a 
woman,  lovely  in  form  as  well  as  in  feature,  with  limbs  exqui 
sitely  proportioned,  with  a  foot  and  ankle  which  the  most 
graceful  belle  in  Yankee  land  might  envy,  picturesquely  arrayed 
in  a  snow-white  tunic,  fabricated  of  a  beautiful  marine  tissue, 
came  skipping  gracefully  in  the  room,  and  stood  before  him. 
She  was  followed  by  her  father,  the  old  bearded  gentleman, 
whom  Jack  had  before  seen  on  the  Riding  Rocks,  and  a  whole 
troop  of  mermaids  and  mermen,  who  were  introduced  to  Jack 
as  her  relations. 

"  Jack  professed  great  pleasure  at  making  their  acquaintance ; 
and  he  soon  learned,  to  his  great  satisfaction,  that  the  fish- 
like  appearance,  which  had  offended  him  so  much,  was  only 
an  artificial  apparatus,  ingeniously  manufactured  from  the 
skin  and  tail  of  the  deep-water  shark  (a  fish  which  is  well 
known  to  be  the  mortal  enemy  of  mermaids),  to  assist  them  in 
swimming.  Indeed,  this  might  be  called,  with  propriety,  their 
bathing  dress. 

"  Jack  Robbins  was  treated  with  the  greatest  politeness  by 


OOLOOLOO.  45 

these  kind  people.  They  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in 
making  their  residence  agreeable  to  him.  They  set  before 
him  a  delicious  repast,  consisting  of  various  kinds  of  fish  and 
marine  delicacies,  the  names  of  which  he  knew  not;  and 
finally  asked  him  plainly,  if  he  were  not  willing  to  pass  with 
them  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

"Jack  was  staggered  at  first.  He  admired  very  much  what 
he  had  seen  of  the  disposition,  and  habits,  and  modes  of  life,  of 
these  strange  people.  He  caught  the  eye  of  Oolooloo,  too, 
who  looked  as  if  she  wished  he  would  make  up  his  mind  to 
remain,  and  was  eagerly  awaiting  his  answer.  But  when  he 
thought  of  his  native  country,  of  rough  but  honest  New  Eng 
land;  of  Vermont,  amid  whose  green  hills  he  had  passed 
many  happy  hours ;  and  when  he  thought,  too,  of  his  mother, 
old  and  infirm,  who  loved  him  with  all  a  mother's  tenderness, 
and  who  was  dependent  on  him  for  the  necessaries  of  life,  he 
no  longer  hesitated,  but  told  them,  at  once,  that  he  felt  exceed 
ingly  grateful  for  their  kind  invitation,  but  was  prevented 
from  accepting  it  by  circumstances  which  it  was  unnecessary 
to  explain,  but  which  he  could  not  control. 

"  Oolooloo  seemed  disappointed,  and  gave  him  a  look  in 
which  tenderness  and  reproach  were  mingled.  She  said  noth 
ing,  however,  to  change  his  determination,  but  intimated  in  a 
grave  tone,  not  altogether  void  of  pique,  that  she  was  ready 
at  any  time  to  fulfil  her  promise  of  conveying  him  in  safety 
to  the  Riding  Rocks,  whenever  he  felt  disposed  to  leave  them. 
Jack  said  he  should  like  right  well  to  pass  several  days  among 
them,  but  he  feared  that  the  brig  Yankee  Doodle,  to  which 
vessel  he  belonged,  would  get  a  breeze  from  the  eastward,  and 
be  off,  which  would  place  him  in  a  very  unpleasant  predica 
ment. 

"  Oolooloo  took  the  hint,  and  arrayed  herself  in  her  swim 
ming  costume  without  delay,  and,  grasping  Jack's  hand,  she 
clambered  with  him,  awkwardly  enough,  a  flight  of  steps  to  a 


46  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

large  sky-light  in  the  roof  of  the  palace  —  and,  then,  with  far 
more  strength  and  agility  than  he  had  previously  believed  she 
possessed,  she  sprang  with  him  upwards  into  the  vast  bed  of 
water  which  rolled  above  the  homes  of  the  sea-nymphs,  and 
in  a  few  moments  Jack  found  himself  and  his  companion 
safely  landed  on  the  Riding  Rocks ! 

"  Jack  Robbins  spouted  like  a  whale,  as  dripping  wet  he 
emerged  from  the  water.  He  looked  in  the  offing  for  the 
Yankee  Doodle,  but  no  Yankee  Doodle  was  to  be  seen.  Even 
the  boat,  which  he  had  a  few  hours  before  fastened  to  the 
rocks,  was  no  longer  there.  A  fine  breeze  was  blowing  from 
the  eastward,  which  led  him  to  suppose,  what  was  actually 
the  case,  that  the  captain,  believing  him  to  have  been  devoured 
by  sea-monsters,  had  sent  ashore  and  taken  possession  of  the 
boat,  then  filled  the  yards  und  made  all  sail  to  his  destined 
port. 

"  Jack's  consternation  may  easily  be  conceived.  His  only 
hope  now  was  that  some  other  vessel  would  pass  that  way, 
within  a  day  or  two,  and  take  him  off.  He  intimated  to 
Oolooloo  his  intention  of  remaining  on  the  rocks ;  he  told  her 
that  he  had  often  been  in  worse  straits  than  that,  and  doubted 
not  he  should  weather  the  cape  without  any  trouble.  He  ex 
pressed  much  regret  for  being  under  the  necessity  of  parting 
from  her  who  had  treated  him  so  kindly,  and  bade  her  fare 
well.  Oolooloo,  who  had  conceived  quite  a  strong  affection 
for  the  handsome  and  bold-hearted  sailor,  sighed  as  she^  kissed 
her  hand  to  him,  and  disappeared  beneath  the  dark  blue  wave. 

"  Poor  Jack  Robbins  seated  himself  on  a  high  crag  and 
looked  out  upon  the  vast  expanse  of  ocean  before  him,  but  not 
a  single  sail  was  to  be  seen.  The  shades  of  evening  fell,  and 
found  Jack  sitting  there  still,  forlorn  and  dismal  enough. 
He  began  to  think  it  would  have  been  better  to  have  remained 
among  pleasant  society  in  the  mermaid's  cave,  where,  at  all 
events,  he  could  have  found  plenty  of  grub.  The  night  passed, 


OOLOOLOO.  47 

and  in  the  morning  there  were  no  vessels  in  sight.  Jack  felt 
hungry,  but  he  was  on  a  barren  rock,  where  there  were  no 
means  of  satisfying  either  his  hunger  or  thirst.  This  day, 
and  a  long,  solitary,  and  dreary  one  it  was,  also  passed  away ; 
and  the  next  morning,  as,  in  a  forlorn  mood,  he  was  leaning 
against  a  cliff,  looking  out  towards  the  horizon,  feeling  un 
usually  sad  and  depressed,  and  with  good  reason,  he  heard  a 
noise  in  the  water  near  him.  He  turned  his  head,  and,  to  his 
great  delight,  recognized  the  pleasing  features  of  his  friend 
Oolooloo. 

"  He  was  truly  rejoiced  to  see  her  again,  and  she  could  not. 
conceal  her  pleasure  to  find  that  the  interesting  sailor  had  not 
yet  been  able  to  quit  those  desolate  rocks.  She  asked  him  if 
he  was  now  willing  to  go  back  to  the  romantic  grotto  beneath 
the  sea ;  and  Jack,  who  had  an  insuperable  aversion  to  hun 
ger  and  solitude,  acknowledged  that  nothing  would  give  him 
greater  satisfaction.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  he  was  par 
taking  of  glorious  cheer  in  the  mermaid's  cave,  and  at  intervals 
was  laughing,  and  chatting,  and  flirting  with  Oolooloo.  Jack 
felt  quite  reconciled  to  his  situation,  for  he  had  no  longer  any 
fear  of  dying  from  hunger,  or  of  pining  away  his  life  in  soli 
tude.  He  felt  grateful  to  Oolooloo,  too ;  and  gratitude, 
especially  when  entertained  towards  a  pretty  woman,  although 
she  may  have  ruby  eyes  and  sea-green  hair,  is  often  akin  to 
love.  In  less  than  a  fortnight  after  Jack  Robbins  became  a 
resident  of  the  grotto,  he  had  won  from  the  beautiful,  but 
frank  and  open-hearted  mermaid,  her  consent  to  become  his 
bride.  They  were  married,  and  their  wedding  was  celebrated 
with  a  grand  ball,  on  which  memorable  occasion  Jack  aston 
ished  them  all  with  the  skill  and  agility  with  which  he  ex 
ecuted  that  difficult  feat,  the  double  shuffle. 

"  Weeks  and  months  passed  away,  and  Jack  was  as  happy 
as  under  the  circumstances  could  have  been  expected.  He 
loved  Oolooloo,  and  his  affection  was  returned  with  interest 


48  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

He  passed  his  time  pleasantly,  too,  in  conversing  with  the  in 
habitants  of  those  regions,  in  joining  in  their  sports  and 
amusements,  and  in  wandering  about  gazing  upon  the  riches, 
and  beauties,  and  curiosities,  which  were  to  be  met  with  on 
every  side.  His  thoughts,  it  is  true,  would  sometimes  revert 
to  his  native  home,  and  a  pang  would  seize  his  heart  when  he 
thought  of  his  mother,  perhaps  suffering  from  want,  or  depend 
ent  on  the  charity  of  strangers  for  food.  But  a  smile  from 
Oolooloo  would  banish  all  his  cares,  and  bring  to  his  bosom 
tranquillity  and  joy. 

"  Sometimes,  in  order  to  vary  his  amusements,  he  would  ac 
company  his  wife  and  some  friends  on  an  excursion  to  the 
Riding  Rocks,  or  the  Orange  Keys ;  and,  if  he  saw  a  strange 
sail  in  the  distance,  his  heart  would  beat  quicker,  and  he  felt 
a  sort  of  yearning  to  be  once  more  with  his  own  race  and 
kindred.  The  fact  is,  Jack  Robbins  had  been  used  to  the  ups 
and  downs  of  life  ;•  he  was  fond  of  adventure,  and  was  of  a 
bold,  enterprising  disposition ;  but  there  was  very  little  variety 
in  the  lives  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  sea,  among  whom  he  had 
taken  up  his  abode.  They  were  happy,  it  is  true,  and  Jack 
often  thought  he  was  a  fool  not  to  be  happy  too.  He  had 
everything  he  could  wish,  but  he  had  no  employment;  his 
life  seemed  passing  away  like  a  dull,  sluggish,  smooth  stream, 
as  it  moves  quietly  along  towards  the  ocean.  This  sameness 
he  did  not  like.  It  reminded  him  of  a  calm  at  sea.  He  was 
formed  for  the  rough  and  tumble  of  life,  not  to  rust  out  his 
faculties  in  indolence  and  ease.  But  he  knew  that  if  he  ex 
pressed  even  the  remotest  wish  to  quit  the  society  of  his  kind 
friends,  it  would  kill  his  wife  —  Oolooloo's  heart  would  break. 
Besides,  it  would  be  a  vile  return  for  her  kindness  and  affec 
tion.  He,  therefore,  summoned  to  his  aid  all  the  fortitude  of 
which  he  was  master,  and  resolved  to  bear  his  happiness  with 
as  good  a  grace  as  possible.  Indeed,  he  had  pretty  much 
made  up  his  mind  to  pass  the  rest  of  his  life  among  that  kind 


OOLOOLOO.  49 

and  hospitable  race  of  beings,  when  a  circumstance  occurred, 
after  he  had  been  about  a  year  and  a  half  in  his  marine  abode, 
\vhich  materially  changed  the  aspect  of  affairs. 

"  I  have  already  said  that  the  deep-water  shark  is  the  enemy 
of  the  mermaids;  but  these  sea-nymphs  move  through  the 
water  with  such  velocity,  that  the  sharks  seldom  meet  with  an 
opportunity  to  injure  any  of  that  race.  One  day,  however, 
as  Oolooloo  was  convoying  her  husband,  Jack  Robbins,  from 
one  of  the  Bahama  Keys,  whither  they  had  been  on  a  pleasure 
excursion,  a  large  shark  was  lying  in  wait  watching  for  his 
prey.  Oolooloo  saw  him,  but,  in  attempting  to  avoid  this 
voracious  monster,  she  almost  rushed  into  the  jaws  of  another, 
which  was  coming  full  speed  towards  her  in  an  opposite  direc 
tion.  She  saw  that  her  case  was  a  critical  one ;  and,  although 
she  could  at  once  have  ensured  her  own  safety  by  deserting 
her  husband,  she  nobly  preferred  to  remain  by  him,  and  rescue 
him  if  possible,  but  at  all  events  share  his  fate.  She  exerted 
all  her  strength  in  this  emergency,  and,  at  the  very  moment 
when  she  was  about  congratulating  herself  on  having  escaped 
the  threatened  danger,  one  of  these  monsters  made  a  dart 
towards  her,  seized  her  by  the  shoulder,  bit  out  a  large  piece 
of  the  flesh,  and  crushed  the  bone.  Poor  Oolooloo,  after  a 
severe  struggle,  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  jaws  of  the 
shark,  and  by  a  violent  effort  made  out  to  reach  the  coral 
grottos,  but  in  a  bleeding  and  fainting  condition. 

"Jack  Robbins  felt  that  he  was  indebted  to  the  beautiftd 
mermaid  again  for  his  life,  that  she  had,  perhaps,  sacrificed 
herself  for  him.  He  fully  appreciated  her  noble  act,  and 
cherished  a  deep  feeling  of  gratitude.  He  earnestly  hoped 
that  she  would  recover,  and  he  vowed  that,  if  she  did,  he  would 
never  entertain  a  thought  for  a  moment  which  should  embody 
the  possibility  of  a  separation  from  his  preserver.  But  poor 
Oolooloo  did  not  recover ;  the  wound  which  she  received  was 
a  dreadful  one,  and  the  mermaids  and  mermen  have  never 
5 


50  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

been  celebrated  for  their  skill  in  surgery.  She  lingered  a 
few  days  in  great  agony,  when  mortification  took  place,  and 
the  kind  and  affectionate  creature  expired  in  the  arms  of  her 
weeping  husband. 

"  Jack  lamented  her  death ;  her  tenderness  and  devotion  to 
him  had  won  his  affection,  and  he  felt  that  he  had  lost  a  true 
and  a  dear  friend.  But,  after  the  death  of  Oolooloo,  the  coral 
caves  and  the  marine  forests  and  gardens,  lost  all  their  charms 
in  his  eyes.  Even  the  conversation  of  his  kind  friends  seemed 
to  him  dull  and  prosy ;  and  one  day,  after  he  had  listened  to 
a  long  rigmarole  story  from  his  old  father-in-law,  he  some 
what  startled  the  old  man,  who  still  had  two  unmarried 
daughters,  both  of  whom  were  setting  their  caps  for  the 
widowed  sailor,  by  requesting  the  old  gentleman  to  put  him 
in  a  way  to  return  to  his  native  country. 

"  The  old  merman,  however,  although  something  of  a  bore, 
was  a  good  old  soul.  He  no  sooner  found  that  Jack  was  un 
happy  in  that  delightful  place,  with  nothing  to  do,  enjoying 
good  society,  and  surrounded  with  all  the  comforts  and  luxu 
ries  of  life,  than,  although  he  condemned  his  judgment  and 
taste,  he  resolved  to  accede  to  his  wishes.  Accordingly,  the 
next  day,  Jack  having  donned  the  garments  which  he  wore 
when  he  was  on  board  the  Yankee  Doodle,  and  ballasted  his 
pockets  with  a  few  lumps  of  gold,  and  precious  stones,  and 
other  valuables,  took  leave  of  his  kind  friends  and  companions, 
and,  submitting  himself  to  the  pilotage  of  the  old  merman, 
soon  found  himself  on  the  south-eastern  point  of  one  of  the 
Bimini  islands.  He  looked  around  him,  and  was  rejoiced  to 
see  a  sloop  just  anchoring  in  a  small  bay,  but  a  short  distance, 
from  him.  He  pointed  out  the  vessel  to  his  father-in-law, 
shook  hands  with  him,  and  bade  him  good-by.  The  old  gen 
tleman  then  returned  to  his  home  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean, 
and  is  living  there  yet,  for  aught  I  know.  Jack  then  hastened 
towards  the  sloop,  which  proved  to  be  a  *  wrecker '  from  Key 


OOLOOLOO.  51 

West.  He  told  the  skipper  a  plausible  story  of  being  ship 
wrecked,  but  said  nothing  about  the  contents  of  his  pockets, 
which  he  concealed  from  every  eye.  The  skipper  received 
him  on  board,  and  in  a  few  days  an  opportunity  offered  to 
transfer  him  to  a  ship  bound  from  New  Orleans  to  New  York. 
He  undertook  to  work  his  passage,  and  in  about  a  fortnight 
arrived  safe  and  sound  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

"  Jack  Bobbins  lost  no  time  in  depositing  his  treasure  in  a 
safe  place,  reserving  a  little,  however,  for  immediate  use ;  and 
as  soon  as  he  had  rigged  himself  out  with  a  new  suit,  he  took 
his  land  tacks  bn  board,  and  started  off  for  Vermont, 

"  The  fruitful  fields,  the  woocf-crowned  hills,  and  the  clear 
streams  of  his  native  state  looked  beautiful  in  his  eyes,  far 
more  beautiful  than  they  ever  did  before.  Jack  thought  they 
were  a  thousand  times  more  precious  than  all  the  treasures 
buried  in  the  fathomless  recesses  of  the  deep.  And  although 
his  bosom  heaved  a  sigh  when  he  thought  of  poor,  affection 
ate  Oolooloo,  he  could  not  help  congratulating  himself  on 
reaching  his  home  once  more,  safe  and  sound ;  but  this,  I  sup 
pose,  is  human  nature. 

"  It  was  a  pleasant  afternoon  in  September  when  he  ar 
rived  at  his  mother's  dwelling.  The  good  woman  had  wept 
bitterly  the  loss  of  her  only  son.  She  was,  beside,  lamenta 
bly  deficient  in  worldly  goods.  Her  furniture  had  been  seized 
and  sold  for  debts  which  she  had  contracted,  and  she  had 
been  ordered  by  her  landlord  to  quit  the  tenement  which  she 
occupied,  without  delay.  Overcome  with  misfortune,  and 
almost  blind  with  weeping,  not  knowing  in  what  direction  to 
turn  her  footsteps  next,  she  was  sitting  gloomily  in  a  chair, 
brooding  over  her  sorrows.  She  was  roused  from  her  reverie 
by  the  noise  made  by  a  person  entering  the  room.  She 
raised  her  head  and  beheld  her  son,  whose  soul  she  be 
lieved  had  long  since  passed  away  to. the  regions  of  the 
blessed.  But  she  could  not  be  deceived.  There  stood  Jack 


52  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

Robbins,  with  the  same  healthy,  happy  look,  and  good-humored 
countenance  of  former  years.  The  good  woman  rushed  to 
wards  him,  fell  on  his  neck,  and  fainted  away. 

"  Jack  Robbins  soon  regulated  matters  to  his  satisfaction, 
and  returned  to  New  York  to  take  care  of  his  treasures.  He 
found  himself  a  wealthy  man,  thanks  to  the  mermaids,  and 
concluded  to  let  go  his  sheet-anchor  in  a  pleasant  valley  in 
Vermont,  where,  according  to  all  accounts,  he  is  still  snugly 
moored,  and  often  recurs  to  the  pleasant  times  he  passed  with 
his  Oolooloo  beneath  the  dark  waters ;  and  sighs  when  he 
looks  upon  the  lock  of  sea-green  hair,  which  he  wears  in  his 
bosom  as  a  token  of  remembrance." 

Such  was  Ben  Ridgerope's  story  of  the  mermaid;  and 
when  he  concluded,  a  dispute  arose  among  his  watch-mates 
whether  such  creatures  as  mermaids  really  existed  or  not. 
But  before  the  question  was  definitely  settled,  it  was  eight 
bells,  and  the  watch  was  relieved.  When  daylight  broke  the 
Orange  Keys  were  discovered,  about  eight  or  nine  miles  off  to 
the  southward.  The  yards  were  filled  away,  and  sail  made 
upon  the  ship,  which  passed  very  near  the  Keys  to  the  east 
ward.  Although  the  crew  looked  hard  at  the  rocks  as  they 
sailed  along,  not  a  mermaid  was  to  be  seen. 


WHITE-HEADED   BILL. 

Now,  gallant  sailor,  hold  thine  own, 
Xo  maiden's  arm  is  round  thee  thrown  ; 
That  desperate  grasp  thy  frame  might  feel 
Through  bars  of  brass  and  triple  steel. 

SCOTT. 

AMONG  the  crew  of  the  brig  Clarissa,  on  her  voyage  from 
Salem  to  Maranhani,  a  number  of  years  since,  was  a  funny- 
looking  fellow  by  the  name  of  Bill  Somers.  He  was  about 
five  feet  two  in  his  shoes,  and  rather  stout-built.  His 
features  were  not  remarkable  for  their  comeliness,  and,  sailor 
as  he  was,  his  appearance,  even  when  rigged  out  in  his  best 
style,  with  a  bran-new  spanker,  gaff-topsail,  and  flying-jib, 
never  caused  many  heart-burnings  among  the  belles  on  shore. 
But  Bill  was  a  philosopher,  and  cared  but  little  for  such 
trifles.  His  face  was  not  long,  but  it  made  up  in  latitude 
what  it  wanted  in  longitude ;  his  eyes  were  of  a  rusty  lead 
color,  and  one  was  considerably  larger  than  the  other,  or,  as 
Jack  Hunter  used  to  say,  one  looked  like  a  horse  and  the 
other  like  a  horse-marine ;  his  mouth  was  small  and  round, 
looking  for  all  the  world  like  an  auger-hole  in  his  face,  just 
beneath  his  left  nostril ;  but  his  nose  was  a  noble  one,  being 
of  the  color  of  black  walnut,  and  sticking  straight  out  from 
between  his  well-bleached  and  rough-looking  cheeks,  like  the 
handle  of  a  serving-mallet ;  and,  to  crown  all,  although  he 
was  not  apparently  more  than  five  and  thirty  years  old,  his 
head  was  as  white  as  the  ocean  foam,  and  when  he  wandered 
5* 


54  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

about  deck,  without  his  cap,  between  daylight  and  dark,  he 
loomed  up  like  Beaehy  Head  in  a  fog  !  But  Bill  was  a  good 
seaman,  and  a  kind  shipmate.  He  was  well  liked  by  every 
man  on  board,  notwithstanding  his  queer  looks,  and  was 
known  by  the  name  of  White-headed  Bill. 

One  pleasant,  moonlight  evening,  during  the  dog-watch,  as 
the  Clarissa  was  running  smoothly  along  with  a  gentle  trade 
wind  upon  her  quarter,  the  crew,  all  hands  being  on  deck, 
were  engaged,  some  in  chatting,  and  some  in  skylarking  on 
the  forecastle.  Bill  Somers,  who  had  been  relieving  the  man 
at  the  helm  while  he  got  his  supper,  came  forward  while  they 
were  in  the  midst  of  their  sport. 

"Avast,  shipmates;  avast  there!"  cried  Ben  Harding. 
"  Here  comes  White-headed  Bill.  He  promised  us,  the  other 
day,  that,  the  first  chance  he  got,  he  would  overhaul  his  log 
book,  and  let  us  know  how  it  happened  that  old  Time  emp 
tied  a  dredging-box  upon  his  head  before  he  had  got  half- 
seas-over  on  the  voyage  of  life." 

"  That 's  a  bright  thought,  Ben,"  said  Ned  Mulliken.  "  All 
hands  are  on  deck,  and  there  is  nothing  to  do.  There  could 
not  be  a  better  chance  ;  come,  Bill,  let 's  have  your  yarn." 

"  Well,"  said  the  venerable-looking  seaman,  "  I  suppose  I 
shall  have  to  tell  you  some  time  or  other,  and  the  sooner  I 
tell  you,  the  sooner  I  shall  enjoy  a  quiet  life.  So  bring  your 
selves  to  anchor,  my  hearties,  and  you  shall  know  all  about 
it." 

They  gathered  around  him  on  the  deck  of  the  forecastle. 
Bill  put  the  forefinger  of  his  left  hand  on  the  spot  where  his 
chin  should  have  been  ;  and,  squinting  terribly  with  his  big 
eye,  he  cast,  with  his  other,  a  searching  look  into  the  regions 
of  the  past.  He  soon,  however,  collected  his  scattered 
thoughts,  and  began  his  narrative  as  follows : 

"  It  is  about  ten,  or,  indeed,  it  may  be  twelve,  years  ago 
(for  I  am  but  a  poor  hand  at  dates,  and  it  is  of  little  conse- 


WHITE-HEADED   BILL.  55 

quence  when  a  thing  happens,  provided  it  happens  at  all), 
that  I  found  myself  adrift  in  Savannah,  with  a  few  shiners  in 
my  pocket.  I  slung  my  cot  at  Jim  Hubbard's,  at  the  sign  of 
the  General  Armstrong ;  and  there  I  fell  in  with  as  crazy  and 
merry  a  set  of  fellows  as  ever  cracked  a  flint  biscuit,  or  bolted 
mahogany  beef.  They  were  always  up  to  some  fun  or  other, 
or  kicking  up  a  row,  and  getting  themselves  and  others  into 
trouble.  I  was  with  them  one  unfortunate  evening,  when 
they  capsized  a  barber's  shop,  while  he  was  shaving  a  cus 
tomer,  in  revenge  for  his  having  shaved  off"  the  whiskers  of 
some  of  them  rather  too  closely,  the  day  before,  while  en 
gaged  in  taking  off  their  beards.  The  shop  was  soon  on  its 
beam-ends  ;  but  some  meddlesome  fellows,  who  lived  along 
side,  and  who  could  not  understand  a  joke,  ill-naturedly  sent 
a  messenger  for  the  city  guard,  and  a  pretty  rumpus  followed, 
I  assure  you,  as  ever  an  old  man-of-war's  man  would  wish 
to  see.  But  they  were  too  many  guns  for  us,  and  the  scrape 
ended  by  all  of  us  being  captured  and  towed  off  to  the  watch- 
house,  where  we  were  put  in  limbo,  and,  next  morning,  we 
were  all  carried,  in  great  state  and  parade,  before  a  stern- 
looking,  iron-faced  chap,  who,  after  listening  to  a  long  yarn 
from  the  captain  of  the  guard,  gave  us  a  lecture  as  long  as 
the  main-top  bowline,  and  made  us  pay  roundly  for  the  frolic. 
And  we  were  lucky  to  get  off  so  easily. 

"  Our  frolicking  days  were  soon  over.  No  one  could  man 
age  better  to  ease  a  sailor  of  his  loose  cash  than  our  landlord, 
Jim  Hubbard ;  and,  after  our  purses  grew  lank  and  con 
sumptive,  he  gave  us  grim  and  surly  looks,  making  us  under 
stand  that  the  sooner  we  looked  out  for  a  ship  the  better. 

"  Well,  after  overhauling  matters  and  things  a  little,  and 
going  on  board  half  a  dozen  vessels,  and  holding  long  confabs 
with  the  captains  and  mates,  for  sailors  were  in  demand  in 
those  days,  boys,  I  can  tell  you,  and  we  felt  our  importance 
mightily,  and  strutted  about  big  as  midshipmen  on  leave  of 


56  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

absence,  we  concluded  to  ship  on  board  the  brig  Joseph,  of 
Boston,  Captain  Allen,  bound  on  a  voyage  to  Gottenburg. 
We  got  our  month's  pay  in  advance,  and  promised  the  skip 
per  that  we  would  get  our  traps  on  board,  settle  all  accounts 
on  shore,  have  a  regular-built  spree,  and  come  on  board  on 
the  morrow  steady  as  the  south-east  trades,  and  as  sober  as  a 
struck  dolphin. 

"  And  we  were  men  of  our  word,  as  all  sailors  should  be. 
We  never  promised  what  we  could  not  perform.  We  set  our 
selves  to  work  to  do  up  all  our  little  odd  jobs,  that  we  might 
take  hold  with  a  will  on  the  next  day,  and  show  the  skipper 
that  he  had  shipped  an  honest  set  of  fellows,  who  knew  what 
was  right,  and  had  courage  to  do  it.  That  's  what  I  call 
plane-sailing ;  and  foremast  hands  should  never  meddle  with 
any  other  kind  of  sailing  ;  they  would  find  it  better  for  them 
in  the  long  run." 

"  There  's  no  doubt  of  that,"  muttered  Ben  Harding,  with 
a  nod  of  approbation. 

"  Well,  you  see,  I  had  a  good  deal  to  do.  After  paying 
off  all  scores,  I  had  eight  or  ten  dollars  left,  and  I  was  as 
hard  at  work  all  the  afternoon  in  laying  that  out  to  the  best 
advantage  as  a  Mother  Carey's  chicken  in  a  gale  of  wind. 
At  last,  I  got  all  the  duds  and  knickknacks  I  wanted,  packed 
my  chest,  a  dray  was  sent  for,  our  chests  and  bedding  given 
in  charge  to  Cuflee,  and,  with  the  rest  of  my  shipmates,  in  tip 
top  spirits,  we  conveyed  our  property  on  board  the  brig,  and 
saw  it  snugly  stowed  in  the  forecastle.  We  then  held  a  con 
sultation,  and  came  to  the  conclusion  that  some  one  ought  to 
sleep  on  board  the  brig  that  night,  and,  as  I  was  a  pretty 
steady  chap  in  those  days,  and  had  got  enough  of  frolicking, 
I  volunteered  to  do  that  duty,  and  prepared  my  bunk  accord 
ingly. 

"  After  a  hearty  supper  at  our  boarding-house,  the  rest  of 
the  lads  started  off  on  some  wild  spree,  determined  to  have  a 


WHITE-HEADED    BILL.  57 

real  lark1,  to  wind  up  the  last  night  on  shore,  and  then  to  con 
duct  like  decent,  well-behaved  men  for  the  rest  of  the  voyage. 
I  sat  down  in  a  corner,  enjoying  a  good  cigar,  in  company 
with  Bill  Willis,  the  boatswain  of  the  ship  Casket,  and  a  few 
other  clever  fellows.  We  got  talking  about  various  matters, 
and  at  last  the  boatswain  undertook  to  spin  a  long  yarn  about 
his  love  disappointment  some  twenty  years  before,  which 
almost  capsized  him,  and  was  the  cause  of  his  going  to  sea, 
and  giving  up  all  notion  of  love  forever  afterwards.  And,  to 
tell  you  the  truth,  shipmates,  I  am  not  sure  that  the  old  fel 
low  was  not  more  than  half  right ;  for  these  gals  are  curious 
critters,  and  sometimes  make  sad  work  with  a  man's  upper 
rigging  before  he  is  aware  of  it." 

"  Well,  what  of  that  ?  "  said  Bob  Jones ;  "  what  has  that  to 
do  with  your  white  head  ? " 

"  0,  go  on  with  your  story,  White-Headed  Bill,"  said 
Harry  Handlead,  "  and  let  the  gals  alone.  You  are  a  pretty 
fellow,  with  such  a  figure-head,  to  sneer  about  the  gals.  I 
won't  stand  by  and  see  them  abused,  anyhow." 

"  Don't  be  frightened,  shipmates ;  I  an't  going  to  abuse  the 
gals ;  though,  if  the  truth  was  known,  /  never  was  a  favorite 
among  them.  You  shall  have  the  rest  of  my  story  before  the 
cook  could  sing  out  scoldings !  So  you  see  I  staid  at  the 
boarding-house  until  half-past  ten  o'clock;  whereas,  if  I  had 
gone  on  board  the  Joseph,  directly  after  I  had  stowed  away 
my  supper,  as  I  ought  to  have  done,  I  should  have  steered 
clear  of  a  terrible  fright,  and  my  hair,  instead  of  looking  like 
a  frizzled  snowball,  would  now  have  been  as  black  as  Malay 
Jack's  there.  Well,  I  got  under  way,  with  a  fair  wind,  and 
directed  my  course  towards  the  brig.  It  was  a  pretty  dark 
night,  but  that  I  did  not  mind.  I  had  a  tinder-box  in  the 
till  of  my  chest,  and  I  intended  to  strike  a  light  as  soon  as  I 
got  on  board.  I  stepped  on  deck;  all  was  still.  I  stood  a 
few  minutes,  leaning  against  the  gunwale,  when  all  at  once  it 


58  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

entered  my  mind  that  perhaps  the  old  brig  was  haunted ;  and 
a  strange  kind  of  a  chill  crept  over  me.  I  had  often  heard 
of  such  things ;  and,  more  than  all  that,  I  had  often  heard 
strange  and  unnatural  noises  when  I  was  on  board  the  barque 
Sobersides,  on  a  passage  to  Bio,  which  no  one  on  board  could 
ever  account  for,  and  which  was  the  main  reason  why  myself 
and  three  others  of  the  crew  ran  away,  and  left  three  months' 
pay  and  most  of  our  duds  behind  —  a  thing  I  '11  never  do  again, 
ghost  or  no  ghost.  Well,  I  was  thinking  about  these  things, 
and  came  to  the  conclusion  'that  there  would  be  precious  little 
fun  in  being  alone,  of  a  dark  night,  in  the  forecastle  of  a 
haunted  ship;  although  you  know,  shipmates,  one  and  all, 
that  I  fear  nothing  which  comes  in  any  civilized  shape,  whether 
it  be  man  or  beast,  so  long  as  it  abounds  with  flesh  and  blood. 
Then  again  I  thought  I  was  a  great  fool  to  be  frightened, 
and  that,  after  all,  it  was  not  likely  the  brig  was  haunted. 
After  taking  two  or  three  turns  on  the  main  deck,  I  put  an 
extra  quid  into  my  cheek,  to  inspire  me  with  additional  cour 
age,  and,  wearing  a  stiff  upper  lip,  pressed  boldly  forward 
towards  the  forecastle. 

"  I  opened  the  lid  of  the  forescuttle,  and  was  about  to  go 
down,  when  I  thought  I  heard  a  noise.  I  listened,  and  dis 
tinctly  heard  a  person  breathing  ;  he  was  doing  it  in  a  style  too, 
as  if  his  bellows'  gear  was  of  good  size,  and  in  right  tune. 

"  '  0,  ho,'  said  I  to  myself,  *  that  must  be  Sam  Heavistarn, 
the  chuckle-headed  Dutchman.  He  has  been  taking  too  much 
schnapps,  and  has  wisely  come  aboard  to  sleep  it  off  on  the 
soft  lid  of  a  white  pine  chest.'  Accordingly,  I  called  out  at 
the  top  of  my  voice,  « I  say,  Sam  !  Halloo,  Sam  ! '  No  an 
swer.  *  Why,  he  is  taking  off  the  line  finely.  He  is  walk 
ing  off  to  the  land  of  dreams  like  a  sloop,  of  war  scudding 
before  the  wind  and  sea.  Halloo,  Sam,  I  say  ;  wake  up  ! ' 

"  But  the  only  answer  I  received  was  a  sort  of  a  loud  grunt 
or  growl,  or  a  mixture  of  both.  Thinks  I  to  myself,  « I  will 


WHITE-HEADED   BILL.  59 

soon  rouse  you  out,  my  good  fellow,  or  you  have  got  more 
grog  aboard  than  you  ever  had  since  I  knew  you  ;'  and  down 
into  the  forecastle  I  went.  When  I  got  to  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder,  I  groped  about  to  find  Sam,  intending  to  give  him  a 
good  shaking  ;  and  I  soon  got  hold  of  a  shaggy  garment, 
which  I  took  to  be  his  Flushing  pea-jacket.  I  gave  it  a  pull ; 
*  Come,  shipmate,'  said  I,  '  rouse  and  bitt.'  And  he  did 
rouse  with  a  vengeance  ! 

"  The  object  which  I  took  to  be  Sam,  uttered  a  long,  loud, 
and  hoarse  growl,  and  sprung  off  the  chest,  amid  a  huge  clat 
tering  of  chains,  and  some  most  diabolical  sounds.  My  heart 
sunk  within  me.  *  It 's  a  gone  case,'  said  I ;  '  the  brig  is 
haunted,  sure  enough ;'  and  I  started  back  to  go  up  the  lad 
der.  But  this  was  not  as  easily  done  as  said.  .Before  I  had 


placed  my  foot  on  the  first  step,  I  was  clutched  in  the  grasp 
of  some  horrid  monster,  who  hugged  me  in  his  arms,  as  if  he 


60  SALT  WATER    BUBBLES. 

was  resolved  that  we  should  never  part  company  again.  His 
breath  was  hot  and  unsavory ;  his  claws  were  long  and  sharp  ; 
and  the  garment  which  1  took  for  a  good  warm  pea-jacket 
was  neither  more  nor  less  than  the  shaggy  covering  of  some 
grim  ghost  or  ferocious  imp  ! 

"  I  thought  he  would  have  squeezed  the  breath  out  of  my 
body ;  and  for  a  moment  I  was  so  completely  taken  aback 
that  my  tongue  lay  against  the  roof  of  my  mouth  as  stiff  as  a 
marlinspike,  and  it  was  out  of  my  power  to  hail  for  assistance, 
or  make  any  signals  of  distress.  This  state  of  things  did  not 
last  long,  however ;  words  soon  came  to  my  relief;  and,  ship 
mates,  you  may  rely  upon  it,  I  made  up  for  lost  time.  My 
lungs  are  none  of  the  weakest,  as  you  well  know ;  and,  as  soon 
as  I  was  able  to  get  my  jawing  tacks  aboard,  I  raised  a  hulla 
baloo  which  was  enough  to  astonish  ghost  or  fiend.  «  Mur 
der  !  murder  ! '  bawled  I  at  the  top  of  my  voice.  '  Thieves  ! 
Fire!  Don't  squeeze  so  hard !  Robbers!  0,  you  will  kill  me! 
Help,  or  I  shall  die !  Murder  !  Fire  !  Mercy,  good  ghost ; 
have  mercy  on  me  ! ' 

"  They  say  that,  when  a  man  is  frightened,  he  is  robbed  of 
his  strength.  It  was  not  so  with  me  ;  and  I  defy  any  man 
to  suffer  more  from  fear  than  I  did  at  that  time.  I  thought 
that  old  Davy  Jones  himself,  with  his  strong  arms  and  sharp 
claws,  had  come  for  me ;  but  I  was  resolved  to  struggle  for 
life  as  long  as  I  could  exert  a  muscle  ;  and  while  the  old  fel 
low  was  giving  me  a  hug  that  I  thought  would  crush  every 
bone  in  my  skin,  I  made  a  tremendous  effort,  and  got  one  of 
my  arms  loose,  doubled  up  my  fist,  and  let  my  loving  friend 
have  it,  full  drive,  right  on  the  side  of  his  head.  The  blow 
was  a  powerful  one,  and  altogether  unexpected  by  the  shaggy, 
affectionate,  but  strong-limbed  demon.  It  astonished  him  so 
much  that  he  instantly  relaxed  his  grasp  ;  upon  which,  by  mak 
ing  an  extraordinary  exertion,  an  exertion  upon  which  I 
believed  my  life  depended,  I  broke  away  from  my  attached 


WHITE-HEADED   BILL.  61 

companion,  and,  while  he  gave  loose  to  his  disappointment 
and  anger  in  a  loud  and  savage  growl,  I  sprang  like  lightning 
up  the  ladder.  By  this  time  half  of  the  citizens  of  Savan 
nah  were  aroused,  and  hastening  towards  the  vessel,  to  see 
what  was  the  meaning  of  the  horrid  bellowing  and  shouts  for 
assistance  which  rang  along  the  wharves. 

"  '  For  Heaven's  sake,  what 's  the  matter  ? '  exclaimed  some 
dozen  voices,  as  I  rushed  towards  the  gangway,  meeting  full  in 
the  teeth  a  throng  of  sturdy  fellows  hastening  to  my  assist 
ance. 

"But  I  was  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  stop  to  explain  how  mat 
ters  stood ;  my  only  wish  was  to  put  a  great  distance  be 
tween  the  brig  and  me  in  as  quick  a  time  as  possible  ;  besides 
which,  my  tongue  had  got  stiff  again,  but  not  my  limbs.  I 
made  one  jump  from  the  gunwale,  and  landed  on  the  wharf; 
then  I  crowded  all  sail,  and  carried  on  tauter  and  tauter,  until 
I  reached  the  General  Armstrong  boarding-house.  I  rushed 
into  the  room,  which  I  had  left  not  fifteen  minutes  before, 
and  where  were  now  seated,  smoking  and  drinking,  several  of 
my  shipmates,  and  among  them  Sam  Heavistarn  himself.  I 
must  have  cut  a  pretty  figure ;  for,  as  they  afterwards  told 
me,  my  hair  stood  on  end,  like  feathers  on  a  frightened  por 
cupine,  as  the  player  man  says ;  my  cheeks  were  as  white  as 
a  strip  of  bleached  canvas ;  my  teeth  chattered  against  each 
other  as  if  they  were  dancing  the  double  shuffle ;  my  bosom 
went  up  and  down  like  a  deep-loaded  merchantman,  lying  to 
under  bare  poles  in  '  The  Gulf,'  and  my  eyes  glared  fiercely 
and  wildly,  and  stuck  out  of  my  head  like  the  eyes  of  an 
overgrown  lobster. 

"  '  The  brig  is  haunted  !  the  brig  is  haunted  !  '  screamed  I, 
as  I  rushed  into  the  room.  '  I  have  seen  OLD  DAVY  him 
self,  ay,  and/eZ^  him  too! '  By  this  time  I  was  completely 
done  up ;  I  tried  to  bring  myself  to  an  anchor  in  a  chair,  but 
fell  fainting  on  the  floor. 
6 


62  SALT   WATER  BUBBLES. 

"  My  sudden  appearance  and  terrified  looks  startled  them 
not  a  little,  as  you  may  well  suppose ;  but  it  was  some  time 
before  they  could  bring  me  to  my  senses.  This  was  at  last 
done,  however,  by  Dutch  Sam,  who  dashed  a  bucket  of  fresh 
water  right  into  my  face  and  eyes.  During  an  hour,  at  least, 
I  was  raving  away  at  a  great  rate ;  for,  to  speak  the  truth, 
shipmates,"  added  Bill,  solemnly,  "  I  was  frightened  out  of 
my  wits  !  At  last  I  became  more  calm,  and  was  able  to  give 
a  clear  account  of  the  ghostly  adventure  that  had  befallen 
me  during  the  time  that  I  was  absent  from  the  house.  While  I 
was  telling  my  story,  I  saw  the  rogues  exchanging  signal  glances 
with  one  another,  as  if  they  thought  it  was  a  capital  joke;  and 
no  sooner  had  I  finished  my  tale  than  they,  one  and  all,  burst 
out  into  a  peal  of  laughter,  so  long  and  loud,  so  hearty  and  so 
musical,  as  to  arouse  all  hands,  and  attract  to  the  General 
Armstrong  almost  as  many  of  the  astonished  natives  as  my 
loud  and  furious  bellowings  drew  towards  the  haunted  brig 
Joseph. 

"  1  was  not  a  little  nettled  at  their  unfeeling  conduct ;  for  I 
could  not,  for  the  soul  of  me,  see  any  joke  about  it ;  and  it 
was  nearly  half  an  hour  before  the  good-for-nothing  rascals 
were  able  to  relieve  my  fears  by  explaining  the  cause  of  the 
appearance  of  Old  Davy  in  the  brig  Joseph's  forecastle.  It 
seems  that  their  fondness  for  fun  and  frolic  led  them  to  do  an 
act  which  might  have  been  attended  with  serious  consequences. 
In  their  wanderings  about  town  that  afternoon,  they  spied,  in 
a  back  yard,  a  young  black  bear,  which  was  chained  to  a  post ; 
and  they  amused  themselves  by  watching  its  gambols,  and 
now  and  then  throwing  it  a  lump  of  sugar,  which  the  beast 
eagerly  devoured.  He  was  very  playful,  and  they  thought 
he  would  make  a  pleasant  ship's  companion ;  and,  for  the 
frolic's  sake,  they  laid  a  plan  to  get  him  into  their  possession, 
and  stow  him  away  safely  on  board  the  brig.  Accordingly, 
in  the  evening,  without  saying  a  word  to  me,  they  undertook 


WHITE-HEADED    BILL. 


63 


to  carry  their  plan  into  execution.  "While  the  bear,  not  sus 
pecting  any  harm,  was  busily  employed  in  devouring  a  good- 
sized  lump  of  sugar  which  they  threw  towards  him,  one  of  the 
men  scaled  the  fence  and  unloosened  his  chain;  then,  tak 
ing  him  in  tow,  they  set  off  with  their  prize ;  and,  by  the  help 
of  a  little  coaxing,  and  urging,  and  threatening,  in  less  than 
ten  minutes  they  had  him  safely  moored  to  the  bowsprit  bitts 
in  the  forecastle  of  the  brig  Joseph ;  and,  lest  he  should  take 
it  into  his  noddle  to  inflict  some  injury  on  the  person  of  who 
ever  should  attempt  to  enter  his  habitation,  they  very  consid 
erately  put  a  muzzle  on  his  nozzle  ;  for  which  act  I,  for  one, 
felt  exceedingly  obliged  to  them,  as  it  undoubtedly  saved  my 
life. 

"  So  you  see,"  continued  Bill,  "  all  hands  had  a  good  laugh 
at  my  expense  ;  but  what,  after  all,  was  the  most  singular  poftt 
of  this  affair,  in  less  than  three  days  after  the  bear  gave  me 
such  a  tremendous  hug,  my  hair  began  to  turn  white,  and  in 
less  than  one  week  my  pow  was  as  frosty  as  old  John  Ander 
son's,  and  has  continued  so  ever  since  !  " 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS. 

*'  Give  me  your  hand,  Honestus  !  " 

"  Hand,  sir  1  " 

"  Ay,  hand  !  — you  have  a  hand,  I  trust." 

"  Two,  sir.     One  for  iny  friends,  another  for  my  foes." 

"  What  !     Call  you  this  a  hand  ?  " 

OLD  PLAY. 

IT  was  a  beautiful  summer  morning  when  a  fine  brig,  called 
the  Skyrocket,  might  be  seen  hauling  out  from  a  tier  of  ves 
sels  to  the  end  of  Long  wharf,  in  Boston.  There  was  a  great 
deal  of  bustle  on  board,  for  the  brig  was  outward  bound,  and 
nearly  ready  for  sea,  as  might  be  seen  by  the  depth  of  water 
she  drew,  by  the  long-boat  stowed  over  the  main  hatchway, 
the  sails  bent  to  the  yards,  and  the  appearance  of  half  a  dozen 
seamen,  active,  athletic  fellows,  running  about  the  decks,  clad 
in  bran-new  duck  trousers,  check  shirts  and  tarpaulins,  and 
responding  a  full-mouthed  "  Ay,  ay,  sir !  "  to  the  various 
orders  of  the  officers.  It  was  evident  that  the  Skyrocket  was 
about  to  be  off  on  her  voyage  to  the  Mediterranean. 

The  pilot,  a  middle-aged,  bronzed-visaged,  thick-set,  deter 
mined-looking  man,  stepped  on  board,  and  gave  orders  to 
loose  the  fore-topsail ;  the  colors  were  also  displayed,  ensign, 
jack,  pennant  and  all,  and  the  steward  was  in  great  tribula 
tion  lest  he  should  not  be  able  to  receive  on  board  the  vari 
ous  stores,  trunks,  boxes  and  packages,  always  detained  until 
the  last  moment,  which  the  trucks  and  handcarts,  with  com 
mendable  perseverance,  were  bringing  alongside  the  ship. 
The  topsails  were  now  sheeted  home,  the  fasts  were  singled, 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  65 

% 

the  pilot  stood  on  the  quarter-deck,  with  a  stern  expression 
on  his  countenance,  caused  by  the  absence  of  the  captain,  as 
the  tide  had  already  begun  to  ebb,  and  the  wind  threatened 
to  die  away.  Indeed,  he  looked  as  if  he  could  have  bitten 
off  the  but-end  of  a  marlinspike  without  injury  to  his  feel 
ings,  or  blunting  his  ivories.  He  was  beginning  to  find  a 
safety-valve  for  letting  off  his  indignation,  in  sundry  exple 
tives  and  ejaculations,  more  remarkable  for  their  terseness 
and  vigor  than  for  their  piety,  when  a  heavy-moulded  man 
was  seen  running  down  the  wharf  with  the  rolling  gait  of  a 
true  sailor,  his  arms  filled  with  papers  and  packages,  his  pock 
ets  stuffed  with  newspapers,  and  hurry  and  anxiety  imprinted 
on  his  broad  features. 

"Hurrah,  the  captain 's  coming !"  exclaimed  the  mate, 
with  an  exulting  shout. 

"  Fill  away  the  main-topsail,"  bellowed  the  pilot.  "  Slack 
away  that  bow  fast.  Take  this  stern  hawser  to  the  capstan. 
That 's  it ;  heave  away,  men !  So  —  handsomely  !  " 

By  this  time  the  skipper  had  reached  the  cap-sill  of  the 
wharf,  and  puffing  and  blowing  with  his  exertions,  was  pass 
ing  up  his  bundles  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Dickenson,  the  sec 
ond  officer,  and  altogether  making,  in  the  eyes  of  the  motley 
crowd  of  spectators  assembled  to  witness  the  departure  of  the 
Skyrocket,  a  most  undignified  appearance,  of  which  he  seemed 
not  unconscious ;  for,  calling  to  one  of  the  men,  a  tall,  good- 
looking  fellow,  with  the  nerves  and  thewes  of  a  Hercules, 
who  was  rushing  past  the  gangway  to  execute  some  order 
given  by  the  pilot,  he  hailed  him  in  a  peremptory  tone,  tell 
ing  him  to  lend  Mr.  Dickenson  a  hand  in  taking  those  rat- 
traps  on  board.  "  Lay  hold  of  this  spy-glass,"  said  he  ;  and, 
as  the  man  seized  it  with  his  left  hand,  the  brig,  at  the  same 
time  feeling  the  influence  of  the  breeze,  began  to  edge  off 
bodily  from  the  wharf.  "  Now,"  continued  the  captain,  "  give 
me  your  other  hand,  and  help  me  on  board." 


66  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

The  sailor,  as  it  seemed  reluctantly,  stretched  out  his  right 
hand  to  the  captain,  who  seized  it  with  a  vigorous  grasp,  and, 
giving  a  spring,  stood  the  next  instant  on  the  gunwale  of  the 
Skyrocket,  and  then  descended  on  the  deck. 

The  sailor  shook  off  the  captain's  grasp  as  if  his  hand  was 
stung  by  an  adder,  and  was  rushing  aft,  with  all  possible 
haste,  to  deposit  the  spy-glass  in  a  place  of  safety,  when 
Captain  Sinclair  arrested  his  steps  by  laying  hold  of  his 
collar.  "  Stop,  my  good  fellow,"  exclaimed  the  skipper,  "  and 
tell  me  who  you  are.  What 's  your  name  ?  —  and  be  hanged 
to  you  ! ' ' 

"  Jack  Hathaway,  sir !  "  replied  the  sailor,  in  a  subdued 
and  respectful  tone. 

"  Hold  out  your  flipper,  Jack,  and  let  me  hold  a  survey 
upon  it.  If  it  is  seaworthy,  I  am  mistaken,  that 's  all." 

Jack  presented  his  left  hand,  and  a  noble  hand  it  was,  with 
its  due  proportion  of  fingers,  and  a  broad,  flat  palm,  and 
knuckles  which  would  have  done  credit  to  a  gladiator. 

"  Not  that,"  said  the  captain,  "  it  is  the  other  hand  I  want 
to  see."  And  Jack,  with  evident  reluctance  and  an  embar 
rassed  look,  held  out  his  right  hand  for  the  inspection  of  his 
commander. 

"  And  what  has  become  of  your  thumb  and  forefinger  ? " 
exclaimed  Captain  Sinclair,  in  a  voice  of  thunder. 

"  They  were  bit  off,  sir !  "  replied  Jack  Hathaway,  in  a 
meek  and  gentle  tone,  which  furnished  a  remarkable  contrast 
with  the  loud  and  violent  language  of  the  indignant  captain. 

"Bit  off!  And  what  do  you  mean,"  continued  Captain 
Sinclair,  who,  though  ordinarily  thick-headed,  was  sometimes 
eloquent  when  his  feelings  were  excited,  —  "  what  do  you 
mean,  you  long-limbed,  slab-sided,  hickory-faced  "  (Jack  was 
slightly  pock-marked),  "  hangdog-looking  marine,  by  palming 
yourself  off  upon  me  as  an  able  seaman,  when  you  are  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  a  rascally  impostor,  a  pitiful  Three-fingered 


THREE-FINGERED  JACKS.  67 

Jack  ?  I  have  a  great  mind  to  let  the  anchor  go  under  foot, 
and  pack  you  off  ashore  with  all  your  traps,  you  contempt 
ible,  half-handed  ragamuffin.  But  before  you  get  back  to 
Boston,  if  you  don't  rue  the  day  that  you  shipped  on  board 
the  Skyrocket,  to  play  off  your  tricks  on  me,  my  name  's  not 
Jeremiah  Sinclair,  that 's  all !  " 

The  concluding  portion  of  this  forcible  harangue  was  unfor 
tunately  lost  upon  Jack ;  for,  the  pilot  having  given  orders 
to  "  loose  the  main  top-gallant  sail,"  the  poor  fellow  seized 
the  opportunity  to  escape  from  the  terrible  broadside  of  grape 
and  canister  which  the  skipper  was  pouring  into  him  in  the 
most  merciless  manner,  and,  before  he  had  concluded  his 
string  of  affecting  admonitions,  the  maimed  sailor,  who  flew 
up  the  rigging  with  all  the  dexterity  of  a  magnified  monkey, 
had  already  cast  off  the  yard-arm  gaskets,  and  was  ready  to 
let  fall  the  bunt. 

The  breeze  freshened,  and  the  brig  proceeded  down  the 
harbor  under  full  sail ;  and,  after  having  discharged  the  pilot, 
they  filled  away  the  main-topsail  again,  and  proceeded  on 
their  way  through  the  bay,  urged  forward  by  a  fine  westerly 
breeze.  The  captain,  after  noting  the  alacrity  of  the  crew  in 
performing  their  various  duties,  said  to  his  first  officer,  "  They 
are  a  fine  set  of  fellows,  Mr.  Sanford,  stout,  active,  good- 
looking  men.  They  seem  able  and  willing  to  do  their  work  ; 
all  but  one,  that  Jack  Hathaway,  as  he  calls  himself;  and  he, 
the  good-for-nothing  rascal,  has  had  the  impudence  to  ship 
on  board  a  vessel  under  my  command,  as  an  able  seaman,  with 
only  one  hand !  " 

"  Only  one  hand !  Surely,  you  must  be  mistaken,  sir. 
Hathaway  can  lay  aloft  as  quick,  and  pull  as  hard  at  a  rope, 
as  any  man  on  board.  He  's  a  real  smart  fellow,  that  Hath 
away." 

"  That  may  be,"  replied  the  captain  doggedly,  "  but  he  is  an 
impostor  nevertheless.  He  has  only  one  hand;  or,  what 


68  SALT   WATER  BUBBLES. 

amounts  to  the  same  thing  in  Greek,  his  right  hand  has  lost 
the  thumb  and  fore-finger  !  " 

"  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  the  mate ;  "  I  should  never  have 
supposed  it.  How  did  he  lose  them  ?  I  wonder." 

"  He  says  they  were  bit  off,"  said  the  captain. 

"  Bit  off  ?  Bit  off? "  repeated  Mr.  Dickenson,  musingly, 
"  I  wonder  how  they  were  bit  off!  " 

"  So  do  I,"  said  the  captain,  who  had  a  spice  of  Yankee 
curiosity,  and  was,  moreover,  at  bottom,  a  good-hearted  soul, 
who  enjoyed  a  good  story,  and  more  than  half  believed  every 
thing  that  was  told  him,  "  and  it  will  go  hard  with  him,  but 
I  '11  find  out.  Call  him  aft,  and  I  '11  inquire  into  the  mat 
ter." 

Jack  Hathaway  had  probably  never  heard  the  story  of  the 
famous  Brooks  Watson,  Lord  Mayor  of  London ;  at  any  rate, 
it  never  entered  his  head  to  exact  a  written  obligation  from 
Captain  Sinclair,  not  to  inquire  into  the  modus  operandi  by 
which  he  had  lost  his  fingers  ;  and  when  the  worthy  skipper, 
without  any  unnecessary  circumlocution,*  asked  him  how, 
where,  and  when,  he  was  deprived  of  those  useful  and  orna 
mental  appendages,  with  all  the  particulars  necessary  to  a 
full  understanding  of  the  subject,  Jack  raised  no  objection, 
but  expressed  himself  ready  to  enlighten  him  on  the  spot ; 
and,  after  hitching  up  his  trousers,  and  placing  himself  in  an 
oratorical  attitude,  forthwith  proceeded  to  tell  the  story  of  his 
mishap  in  the  following  language  :  — 

JACK    HATHA WAY'S   STORY. 

"  Why,  sir,"  said  Jack,  "  some  nine  or  ten  years  ago,  I 
cannot  recollect  exactly  which,  when  I  was  much  younger 
than  I  am  now,  and  as  green  as  a  piece  of  Cape  Ann  moor 
ings,  I  found  myself  on  board  an  old  craft,  among  the  islands 
and  reefs  of  the  Pacific,  in  search  of  that  odd-looking  jelly 
fish,  called  becto  le  mer,  which  John  Chinaman  loves  with 


THREE-PINGERED   JACKS.  69 

all  his  heart  and  soul  when  converted  into  soup.'  Well,  we 
met  with  indifferent  success  for  a  time,  and  changed  our  cruis 
ing  ground  pretty  often.  One  fine  morning,  we  found  our 
selves  very  unexpectedly  close  aboard  of  a  low  island,  not  of 
great  extent,  covered  with  wood,  and  apparently  without  in 
habitants.  The  cocoa-nut,  the  plantain,  and  bread-fruit  trees 
seemed  to  grow  of  themselves,  and,  to  confess  the  truth 
looked  very  inviting.  Besides,  we  were  in  want  of  fresh 
water,  of  which,  we  doubted  not,  the  shores  would  furnish 
plenty.  So  we  lowered  the  quarter-boat,  and  the  chief  mate, 
with  half  a  dozen  hands,  including  myself  (for  I  was  always 
ready  to  take  the  lead  in  anything  which  promised  an  ad 
venture),  embarked  on  a  visit  to  this  unknown  and  uninhab 
ited  island,  calculating  upon  a  good  frolic  and  lots  of  fun 
along  the  white  sand  beach,  among  the  high  grass  and  flow 
ery  shrubs,  and  beneath  the  shady  trees  of  this  beautiful  spot, 
which  seemed  to  rest  on  the  bosom  of  old  Ocean,  like  an 
emerald  stone  on  a  tunic  of  silver." 

"  Come,  no  flourishes,  Jack,"  interrupted  Captain  Sinclair. 
"  That  sounds  amazingly  like  poetry,  which  I  despise  as  un 
worthy  an  honest  man,  or  a  true-hearted  sailor." 

"  'T  is  the  truth  what  I  say,  nevertheless,"  resumed  Jack. 
"  The  mate,  Mr.  Dennis,  took  a  musket  with  him,  and  a 
couple  of  men  armed  themselves  with  cutlasses;  for  we 
thought  there  might  be  game  of  some  kind  on  the  island,  and 
it  was  possible  there  also  might  be  some  four-footed  creatures 
that  would  prove  ugly  customers  if  we  came  in  contact  with 
them.  The  captain  told  us  not  to  stop  long,  and  to  stray  but 
a  short  distance  from  the  beach,  and,  above  all,  not  to  lose 
sight  of  the  boat,  —  excellent  instructions,  and  it  would  have 
been  better  for  me  if  I  had  obeyed  them. 

"  We  shoved  off,  and  pulled  hastily  towards  the  shore ;  as 
we  approached  it,  we  found  that  (as  was  the  case  with  many 
of  the  islands  in  the  Pacific),  an  outer  reef  extended  along 


70  SALT   WATER  BUBBLES. 

the  shore,  distant  from  the  beach  some  thirty  or  forty  yards, 
and  between  which  and  the  beach,  in  moderate  weather,  there 
was  a  smooth  strip  of  water  several  fathoms  deep.  The  sea 
broke  on  the  outer  reef,  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that 
we  managed  to  get  the  boat  over.  We  accomplished  it  at 
last,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  crossing  the  narrow  channel,  ran 
the  boat  ashore  on  the  smooth,  coral  beach. 

"  Mr.  Dennis  ordered  one  man  to  stay  in  the  boat,  to  guard 
against  accidents.  He  then  jumped  ashore,  followed  by  the 
rest  of  us,  and  glad  enough  we  wer^e  at  the  prospect  of  a 
frolic  beneath  the  trees,  and  a  run  upon  the  shore. 

"  I  soon  wandered  away  from  my  shipmates,  and  strolled 
along  the  beach  for  a  few  cables'  length,  to  gather  some  of 
the  beautiful  shells  and  pieces  of  coral  which  abound  among 
those  islands.  On  passing  round  a  point  which  screened  me 
from  the  view  of  persons  near  the  boat,  I  spied,  to  my  great 
astonishment  and  delight,  one  of  those  huge  oysters  which  are 
sometimes  found  washed  ashore,  in  these  latitudes,  after  a 
furious  hurricane.  This  oyster  was  nearly  half  as  large  as  a 
scuttle-but,  and,  the  animal  being  alive  and  the  shell  thick,  it 
must  have  weighed  some  sixty  or  eighty  pounds !  In  this 
particular  I  can  hardly  be  mistaken,  as  I  had  a  good  oppor 
tunity  for  ascertaining,  beyond  the  shadow  of  a  doubt,  that 
this  shell-fish,  usually  regarded  as  a  very  quiet  and  stupid 
animal,  was  by  no  means  what  would  be  considered  a  light 
weight,  and  not  half  so  much  of  a  fool  as  the  unlucky  fellow 
who  found  him.  I  rejoiced  in  the  idea  of  capturing  such  a 
prize.  I  walked  around  it,  and  surveyed  it  carefully  from 
every  side.  I  admired  its  majestic  proportions,  and  wondered 
how  the  thing  would  taste  when  delicately  carved,  and  served 
up  in  an  oyster  soup,  a  sea-pie,  a  stew,  or  a  chowder,  and  my 
mouth  actually  watered  at  the  thought  of  such  a  delicious 
dish.  But  how  to  get  it  to  the  boat  was  the  next  question. 
It  was  too  large  to  be  carried  conveniently  even  a  short  dis- 


THREE-FINGEKED   JACKS. 


71 


tance,  by  one  man ;  but  the  boat  could  be  brought  round  the 
point  to  the  oyster ;  or,  as  they  say  in  Smyrna,  if  the  moun 
tain  could  not  go  to  Mahomet,  Mahomet  must  goto  the  moun 
tain." 

"  Come,  heave  ahead,  Jack,"  urged  the  captain,  who  vras 
getting  rather  impatient.  "  The  less  you  say  about  Mahomet, 
or  any  other  of  those  old  Pagan  deities,  the  better ;  and  I 
should  like  to  know  what  connection  there  could  be  between 
that  Daniel  Lambert  of  an  oyster,  the  patriarch  of  his  tribe, 
and  the  loss  of  your  fingers." 


"  The  connection  was  a  very  close  one,  sir,  as  I  soon  found 
out  to  my  sorrow,"  replied  Jack  Hathaway,  with  a  sigh. 
"  For,  seeing  one  side  of  the  oyster  partly  open,  and  urged 


72  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

by  idle  curiosity,  I  very  foolishly  thrust  a  portion  of  the  fin 
gers  and  thumb  of  my  right  hand  between  the  shells,  for  the 
purpose  of  seeing  if  I  could  tear  them  apart,  when  they  dosed 
upon  my  hand  with  A  SNAP  ;  and,  to  my  great  embarrassment, 
agony,  and  terror,  I  found  myself  caught  in  a  spring  trap, 
and  my  fingers  firmly  fixed  in  a  vice  of  forty  horse-power  ! 

"  Here  was  a  predicament,  as  Dick  Dennis  said,  when  some 
baboons  on  Table  mountain  took  him  for  their  brother,  and 
were  hurrying  him  off  to  the  woods !  Far  away  from  my 
shipmates,  and  out  of  sight  of  the  boat,  I  was  nabbed  for  my 
crimes.  The  sharp  edges  of  the  shells  cut  to  the  bone,  and 
caused  a  degree  of  pain,  of  agony,  of  the  most  intense  descrip 
tion.  I  kicked,  I  raved,  I  screamed,  I  yelled  with  anguish ; 
I  vainly  strove  to  withdraw  my  bleeding  hand  from  the  ani 
mated  nippers,  which  had  so  tightly  closed  upon  them.  At 
last,  exhausted  with  my  efforts  to  achieve  my  freedom,  I 
threw  myself  down  on  the  sand,  perspiring  at  every  pore,  and 
heaping  anything  but  blessings  on  shell-fish  of  every  descrip 
tion,  and  consigning  them,  one  and  all,  to  the  lowest  and  hot 
test  depths  in  the  crater  of  Mount  Etna. 

"  But  this  could  not  free  my  fingers,  and  I  felt  that  some 
thing  must  be  done  to  relieve  me  of  this  horrible  incubus, 
which  stuck  closer  to  my  fin  than  a  sucker-fish  to  the  back 
of  a  shark.  I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  looked  around  for  a 
stone,  or  any  other  heavy  object  with  which  I  could  crush 
the  shell  of  my  tormenting  associate ;  but  in  vain.  Nor  did 
the  grim,  determined,  but  silent  monster  seem  disposed  to 
relax,  in  the  slightest  degree,  his  ferocious  grip.  And  then  I 
again  shouted  madly  for  assistance,  hoping  that  my  shipmates 
would  hear  my  voice  and  come  to  my  relief.  Nearly  half  an 
hour  passed  while  I  thus  experienced  tortures  which  could 
not  be  surpassed  by  any  refinement  of  cruelty  practised  by 
true  believers  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith  against  those  her 
etics  who  espoused  a  different  creed. 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  73 

"At  length, while  bending  my  eager  gaze  towards  the  point 
of  land  which  intercepted  my  view  of  the  boat,  I  was  startled 
by  the  report  of  a  musket,  followed  by  a  tumultuous  yell,  so 
loud,  so  wild  and  unearthly,  that  it  made  my  blood  curdle  in 
my  veins.  I  then  knew  that  some  strange  calamity  was 
about  to  visit  others  as  well  as  myself,  and  that  I  ought  no 
longer  to  remain  inactive ;  and  I  tugged  away  right  heartily 
to  free  my  fingers  from  the  oyster's  clutch  : 


But  no  — 


He  would  not  let  his  captive  go.' 

"  As  a  last  resource,  I  determined  to  make  an  attempt  to 
carry  this  islander,  who  was  so  strongly  bent  on  keeping  com 
pany  with  me,  to  the  boat.  This  was  a  difficult  job,  weak 
ened  as  I  was  with  pain  and  anxiety ;  and  I  must  have  cut  a 
queer  figure,  as  I  was  staggering  slowly  along  the  beach, 
carefully  holding  the  big  oyster  like  a  mammoth  baby  in  my 
arms,  groaning  with  pain,  and  making  grimaces  which  would 
have  made  the  fortune  of  a  clown  at  a  circus. 

"  But  when  I  came  in  view  of  the  boat,  a  sighf  greeted  my 
eyes  which  made  me  almost  forget  my  pain,  and  regret,  if 
possible  more  than  before,  that  I  carried  a  cumbrous  and 
unsightly  jewel  at  my  fingers'  ends.  I  saw  the  men  running 
down  to  the  boat  in  great  confusion,  in  a  strange  hurry  to 
embark  ;  and  the  edge  of  the  woods  seemed  alive  with  natives, 
fierce-looking,  tattooed,  tawny  savages,  who  had  been  playing 
possum  in  the  woods,  and  who  shook  their  spears  and  bran 
dished  their  clubs  as  if  they  meant  mischief,  and  every  now 
and  then  raised  in  concert  a  yell  which,  taken  in  connection  with 
other  circumstances,  was  calculated  to  strike  terror  to  the 
boldest  heart. 

"  Mr.  Dennis  was  directing  the  men  to  embark  and  shove  off 
the  boat,  when,  seeing  me  heave  in  sight,  he  hailed  me,  tell 
ing  me  to  throw  down  that  useless  piece  of  lumber,  and  bear 
7 


74  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

a  hand  on  board,  or  he  should  be  compelled  to  leave  me  to 
the  mercy  of  the  savages,  who  seemed  making  demonstra 
tions  towards  a  rush  to  the  boat.  But  for  reasons  well 
known  to  myself,  but  which  I  was  unable  at  the  time  to  ex 
plain,  I  continued  to  hold  on  to  my  treasure,  until,  out  of 
patience  with  what  he  conceived  to  be  my  obstinacy,  he  called 
out  to  '  shove  off,'  and  the  next  moment  the  boat,  impelled 
by  four  oars,  was  rapidly  leaving  the  shore,  and  the  Indians, 
hurling  their  spears  and  breathing  fire  and  fury,  were  rush 
ing  down  to  the  water's  edge  !  " 

"  You  were  in  rather  a  bad  predicament,  I  must  confess, 
Jack,"  remarked  the  captain.  "  I  would  not  have  been  in 
your  shoes  for  a  shilling.  But  how  did  you  get  out  of  the 
scrape  ?  You  got  out  of  it  at  last,  did  you  not  ?  " 

"  A  true  Yankee  sailor,  sir,"  continued  Jack  Hathaway 
with  a  grin,  "  is  seldom  at  a  loss  for  resources,  even  under 
the  most  desperate  circumstances.  The  boat  was  gone,  the 
sea  was  before  me,  the  savages  behind  me.  I  must  swim  for 
it  or  die.  But  as  for  swimming  with  a  dead  weight  of  sixty  or 
eighty  pounds  fastened  to  one  hand,  that  was  out  of  the  question. 
So  I  took  my  jack-knife  from  my  pocket,  opened  it  with  my 
teeth,  and,  with  a  single  slice,  divided  the  small  portion  of 
skin  which  now  connected  my  thumb  and  forefinger  to  my 
hand,  leaving  them  as  a  keepsake  with  my  warm-hearted 
friend,  who  had  so  long  stuck  to  me  closer  than  a  brother, 
and  who,  I  hope,  found  them  what  the  Frenchmen  call  a 
bonne  louche.  I  then  plunged  into  the  water,  and  it  was 
high  time,  for  a  spear  came  whizzing  past  my  head,  cutting 
off  one  of  my  starboard  love-locks ;  and  another,  which  for 
tunately  for  me  was  not  very  sharp,  struck  me  on  the  lar 
board  quarter ;  but,  instead  of  arresting  my  progress,  it  served 
as  a  propeller,  and  urged  me  more  rapidly  ahead.  As  I 
could  swim  like  a  fish,  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  up  with  the 
outer  reef,  where  I  was  picked  up  by  the  boat,  nearly  ex- 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  75 

- 

hausted  with  loss  of  blood  and  the  pain  I  had  so  long  suf 
fered  ;  and  the  worst  of  it  was,  when  I  told  the  mate  my 
story,  instead  of  sympathizing  with  my  sufferings,  he  roundly 
rated  me  for  my  folly  in  not  having  sliced  off  my  fingers 
when  I  first  found  them  caught  in  the  trap. 

"The  captain  dressed  my  wounds  with  care  and  skill  as  soon 
as  I  got  on  board,  and  they  gradually  healed ;  and  now,  sir," 
said  Jack,  with  emphasis  and  energy,  "  although  there  may 
be  some  few  duties  on  shipboard  which  come  awkward,  in  con 
sequence  of  the  loss  of  my  finger  and  thumb,  yet,  generally 
speaking,  I  consider  myself  able  to  perform  a  seaman's  work 
with  any  man  that  ever  knotted  a  backstay  in  a  gale  of  wind, 
or  made  a  grummet  strap  in  a  calm ;  and  if  you  are  not  sat 
isfied  with  my  conduct  when  we  arrive  in  Boston  at  the  close 
of  the  voyage,  I  '11  give  you  leave  to  kick  me  from  the  taff- 
rail  to  the  bowsprit-end,  and  stop  every  cent  of  my  wages, 
that 'sail." 

"  That 's  fair,  Jack,"  exclaimed  the  captain  with  a  gra 
cious  smile,  "  and  I  dare  say  we  shall  get  along  very  well 
together.  It  would  have  been  better,  though,  if  you  had  told 
me  all  about  it  before  you  signed  the  articles.  We  shall 
have  to  favor  you  sometimes,  I  suppose,  and  set  you  about 
such  jobs  as  do  not  require  much  manual  dexterity.  And,  as 
I  see  Mr.  Dickenson  is  about  setting  the  men  to  sew  some 
pieces  of  chafing-leather  on  the  topmast  backstays,  suppose 
you  take  the  helm,  in  the  mean  while,  and  let  Dick  Bobus 
mount  the  palm  and  needle." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  Jack,  who  stepped  aft,  and  relieved 
Dick  from  the  helm,  saying  it  was  the  captain's  orders. 

Dick  Bobus  was  a  good  specimen  of  a  genuine  old  salt.  He 
had  reached,  and  perhaps  passed,  the  meridian  of  life,  but  the 
bronzing,  hardening  and  sharpening  effects  of  change  of  cli 
mate,  hardships,  tempests,  tropical  suns,  and  hard  knocks,  had 
so  twisted  and  dyed  and  transmogrified  his  features,  which 


76  .        SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

were  probably  never  remarkable  for  beauty,  that  he  would 
pass,  without  question,  for  an  old  Triton  of  threescore.  He 
was  a  clean-built  little  fellow,  with  grizzly  locks,  a  hare  lip, 
and  a  cross-jack  eye.  Although  no  Adonis,  he  had  a  fund 
of  good-hunior  in  his  disposition,  and  indulged  a  spirit  of 
practical  philosophy  which  always  kept  his  features  on  a  broad 
grin.  He  was  never  known  to  sigh,  or  indulge  in  unavailing 
regrets  for  the  past,  or  dismal  anticipations  for  the  future, 
but  was  fond  of  a  good  hearty  laugh ;  and,  like  that  funny  old 
rascal,  Falstaff,  he  not  only  laughed  a  great  deal  himself,  but 
was  the  cause  of  laughter  among  others. 

"  Did  you  want  me,  sir  ?  "  said  Dick  Bobus,  with  what  he 
intended  for  a  respectful  grin,  addressing  the  captain. 

"  Yes,"  said  the  skipper.  "  Get  your  palm  and  needle, 
and  lend  a  hand  to  clap  those  chafing-leathers  on  the  back 
stays  in  the  wake  of  the  main  yard." 

"  I  was  cast  away  last  voyage,  sir,"  said  Dick,  with  a  dep 
recatory  grin,  "  and  lost  my  chest,  and  all  my  rattle-traps, 
and  my  palm  among  them ;  and  I  have  not  had  a  chance  to 
get  one  since,  sir." 

"  Well,  never  mind,  Mr.  Dickenson  will  furnish  you  with 
a  palm,  I  dare  say.  Ask  him." 

"  But,"  remarked  Dick,  with  an  expostidatory  grin,  "  his 
palm  would  hardly  suit  my  hand  !  " 

"  Why  not  ?  "  asked  the  captain,  in  a  tone  of  mingled  sur 
prise  and  anger. 

Dick  for  reply  held  out  his  broad  right  hand,  while  a 
grin  of  doubt  and  embarrassment  overspread  the  whole  of  his 
convoluted  countenance ;  and  the  face  of  the  captain  grew 
absolutely  scarlet  with  indignation  when  he  saw  that  the  hand 
was  destitute,  not  only  of  that  useful  and  ornamental  append 
age,  a  thumb,  which  fully  accounted  for  his  difficulty  in  wear 
ing  a  palm,  but  of  that  important  portion  of  the  forefinger 


THREE-FIXGERED    JACKS.  i  i 

which,  in  the  hands  generally  worn  by  able  seamen,  extends 
beyond  the  second  joint ! 

"  Another  THREE  FINGERED  JACK  !  as  sure  as  there  is  salt 
in  the  big  pond !  "  exclaimed  Captain  Sinclair.  "  What 
business  have  you  on  board  my  brig,  the  Skyrocket,  with  a 
flipper  no  better  than  a  seal's,  you  cross-grained,  hyena- 
looking,  grinning  baboon  ?  I  '11  teach  you  better  than  to 
play  off  your  tricks  on  an  old  sailor,  you  dog,  I  will,  and 
make  you  grin  out  of  the  wrong  side  of  your  mouth,  before 
you  and  I-  part,"  continued  the  excited  commander  in  a  voice 
hoarse  with  rage.  "  How  came  you  to  lose  the  complement 
of  your  fingers,  you  smooth-faced  and  lovely-looking  canni 
bal,  you  ?  You  thrust  them  into  somebody's  mess,  when  they 
should  have  been  in  your  own  pocket,  I  '11  be  bound,  and  lost 
them  for  your  impertinence,  and  served  you  right,  too.  Why 
don't  you  speak,  and  not  stand  grinning  there,  like  the  effigy 
of  a  Van  Tromp  on  the  rudder-head  of  a  Dutch  galliot? 
What  has  become  of  those  missing  claws  ?  " 

"  Why,  sir,"  replied  Dick  Bobus,  in  a  respectful  tone,  his 
face  still  knotted  into  a  broad  grin,  "  it  is  so  long  since  I 
lost  them  that  I  sometimes  forget  I  ever  had  any ;  and,  if  I 
had  known  you  would  have  set  such  a  value  on  them,  I 
should  have  shown  you  my  hand  when  I  shipped,  for  it  is  a 
hand  I  never  need  be  ashamed  of,  and,  although  it  may  look 
a  little  awkward  and  one-sided,  it  belongs  to  a  man  who  never 
shirked  his  duty,  or  shrunk  from  any  danger  in  a  battle,  hur 
ricane  or  calm." 

-Well,"  replied  the  skipper,  a  little  mollified  by  Tom's 
remarks,  "  that  is  not  the  question  now.  I  ask  you  again, 
Dick  Bobus,"  raising  his  voice,  "  how  you  lost  your  fingers." 

"  They  were  bit  off,"  said  Dick,  with  a  melancholy  grin. 

"Bit  off?  BIT  OFF?"  repeated  Captain  Sinclair,  his 
thoughts  reverting  to  the  tale  he  had  just  heard  from  Jack 


78  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

Hathaway.  "  Were  they,"  continued  he  musingly,  "  bit  off 
by  a  clam  or  an  oyster  ?  " 

"  Neither  the  one  nor  the  other,  sir,"  said  Dick.  "  They 
were  bit  off  by  an  anatomy."  • 

"An  anatomy  !  "  exclaimed  the  astonished  skipper.  "  What 
do  you  mean  by  an  anatomy  ?  A  skeleton  ?  " 

"  It  was  no  anatomy  of  a  human  being,  sir,"  replied  Dick, 
"  or  even  of  a  creature  that  has  legs  and  arms.  Indeed," 
added  he,  a  solemn  grin  resting  on  his  countenance,  "no 
Christian  would  have  had  the  heart  to  treat  me  in  such  an 
inhuman  manner." 

"How  was  it?  what  was  it?"  demanded  the  captain  ear 
nestly,  his  curiosity  overcoming  his  anger  at  having  a  three- 
fingered  Jack  imposed  upon  him  for  an  able  seaman.  "  Give 
us  the  yarn,  my  good  fellow ;  tell  us  all  the  particulars.  How 
did  you  lose  your  fingers  ?  How  did  it  happen  that  they 
were  bit  off?  What  bit  them  off  ? " 

"  Why,  sir,"  continued  Dick  Bobus,  a  roguish  grin  lurk 
ing  about  the  corners  of  his  mouth,  "  they  were  snapped  off 
by  the  jaws  of  a  shark !  " 

"  Indeed,"  said  the  kind-hearted  skipper,  in  a  tone  of  sym 
pathy  ;  "  poor  fellow !  it  was  lucky  for  you  he  did  not  get 
hold  of  your  leg.  But  tell  us  all  about  it,  my  man.  How 
did  it  happen  that  he  contented  himself  with  such  a  tit-bit  as 
that,  when  he  might  have  crushed  off  your  arm  by  the  shoul 
der-blade?" 

"  Well,  sir,"  replied  the  old  tar,  "  I  '11  tell  you  how  it  was. 
It  is  a  queer  story,  and  you  may  believe  it  or  not,  just  as  you 
like ;  but  it  is  as  true,  nevertheless,  as  the  longitude  by  plane 
sailing,  or  the  compass  at  the  north  pole ;  "  and  Dick  turned 
round,  and  squared  himself  in  front  of  the  captain,  looking 
him  full  in  the  eye,  his  face  assuming  an  expression  as  solemn 
as  the  phiz  of  a  pill-vender  when  about  to  humbug  a  whole 
community.  The  captain  responded  by  a  nod,  which  seemed 


TIIREE-FINGEKED    JACKS.  79 

to  say,  as  plainly  as  a  nod  could  say,  "  Heave  ahead,  my  lad, 
I  'm  prepared  to  swallow  anything  you  may  lay  before  me, 
for  I  have  a  most  capacious  gullet ;  "  and  Dick,  after  allowing 
his  countenance  to  relax  into  its  habitual  grin,  proceeded  in 
his  narrative. 

DICK   BOBUS'    STORY. 

"  When  I  was  a  youngster,  sir,  I  sailed  on  a  voyage  to 
Buenos  Ayres,  on  board  the  old  ship  Hurlothrumbo,  and  on 
the  passage  out,  when  in  sight  of  the  island  of  Lobos,  the 
wind  died  away,  and  we  had  many  kinds  of  fish  alongside, 
and  cutting  their  shines  around  the  vessel,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  seals,  which  showed  their  pug-nosed  faces  in  great  num 
bers,  and  stared  at  us,  the  impudent  heathens,  as  if  they  had 
never  seen  a  blue  jacket,  or  even  a  square-rigged  craft  in  the 
course  of  their  lives.  During  the  afternoon  we  caught  eigh 
teen  dolphins,  three  bonitas,  and  five  albicores,  besides  making 
fast  our  harpoon  to  a  young  fin-back  whale,  as  big  as  the 
quarter-deck  of  the  Sky-rocket,  which  was  shying  about  un 
der  the  quarter.  The  whale,  feeling  somewhat  sulky  at  being 
thus  tickled  beneath  the  ribs,  took  leg-bail  and  started  off 
with  a  rush,  carrying  away  not  only  our  harpoon,  but  the 
whole  length  of  the  main-topsail  halliards,  which  the  mate 
had  fastened  to  the  iron.  When  last  seen,  he  was  pursuing  a 
straight  course,  E.  N.  E.,  at  the  rate  of  some  fifteen  knots, 
and,  for  aught  I  know,  he  is  going  still  in  the  same  direction, 
dragging  the  long  rope  after  him,  unless  he  has  been  brought 
up  before  this  by  the  coast  of  Africa  !  " 

"  Well,  well,"  interrupted  the  impatient  skipper,  "  let  him 
goto  Guinea,  if  he  likes;  what  has  that  whale  to  do  with 
your  mutilated  paw  ?  " 

"  Not  much,  sir,  I  allow ;  but  you  see  the  fin-back  had  no 
sooner  scudded  off  out  of  sight  to  the  eastward,  than  five  large 
man-eating  sharks,  as  if  they  had  been  waiting  near  by  until 


80  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

the  coast  was  clear,  showed  themselves,  the  rascals,  sailing 
slowly  around  the  ship,  not  half  a  cable's  length  off,  with  their 
back-fins  and  tails  proudly  sticking  out  of  water,  and  every 
now  and  then  casting  a  sidelong  glance  towards  the  ship,  to 
see  if  there  was  any  prospect  of  getting  a  piece  of  fresh  grub, 
in  the  shape  of  an  old  salt. 

"  Of  course,  sir,  you  know  that  every  true  sailor  hates  a 
shark,  which,  perhaps,  is  somewhat  strange,  as  the  shark  loves 
a  sailor  dearly,  and  kindly  takes  him  in  out  of  the  cold  salt 
water,  and  carefully  stows  him  away  in  the  lower  hold,  when 
ever  he  has  a  chance.  For  my  part,  I  have  never  had  any 
love  for  the  scoundrels,  since  one  of  them  —  confound  his  im 
pudence  !  —  took  a  huge  slice  from  the  thickest  part  of  my  old 
shipmate,  Ned  Clueline,  when  he  was  lazily  swimming  on  his 
back,  along  side  the  brig  Dolphin,  in  the  roadstead  of  St. 
Pierre,  Martinico.  Since  that  time  I  have  declared  bitter 
and  bloody  war  against  sharks,  and  when  these  five  hungry 
looking  fellows  made  their  appearance,  I  lent  a  hand  to  cap 
ture  them,  with  a  right  good  will. 

"  And  glorious  fun  we  had,  sir,  I  assure  you,  for,  with  a 
couple  of  pieces  of  salt  junk,  we  soon  tolled  them  alongside 
the  ship.  The  captain  sung  out  for  the  shark-hook,  to  the 
chain  of  which  were  bent  the  peak  halliards  of  the  spanker : 
and  a  nice  delicate  piece  of  pork  from  tlje  harness-cask  being 
fastened  to  the  hook,  and  thrown  over  the  stern,  soon  caught 
the  attention  of  our  visitors,  who  seemed  as  sharp-set  as  a 
green  hand  on  half  allowance.  After  a  little  shy  manoeu 
vring,  two  of  them  made  a  dash  at  the  pork ;  the  biggest  one 
of  the  lot  grabbed  it,  but,  in  trying  to  bolt  it,  the  hook  seized 
him  by  the  jaw,  and  he  found  himself  up  to  the  elbows  in 
trouble !  He  was  a  heavy-moulded  fellow,  some  ten  or  eleven 
feet  long,  and  did  not  at  all  like  the  fun  of  being  taken  on 
board.  He  said  nothing  't  is  true,  but  action?  sometimes  speak 
louder  than  words ;  and  the  manner  in  which  he  bounced,  and 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  81 

flourished,  and  jerked,  and  kicked,  and  danced  about  on  the 
water,  splashing  it  around  him,  and  making  the  old  ocean 
foam  again,  was  a  sight  worth  crossing  the  equinoctial  in  a 
wash-tub  to  behold.  He  threw  himself  into  as  many  atti 
tudes,  and  cut  as  many  antics,  as  Monsieur  Sauteur,  a  French 
gentleman  who  was  passenger  with  us  from  Havre  last.winter 
to  Xew  York,  and  whose  brains,  if  he  had  any,  they  said  were 
stowed  away  in  his  heels. 

"  It  was  tough  work  to  get  him  alongside  the  ship,  although 
all  hands  had  hold  of  the  rope  and  pulled  away  with  a  will ; 
and  the  captain,  fearing  that  the  hook  would  straighten  out  or 
tear  away  before  we  could  get  a  bowline  around  him,  told  the 
steward  to  hand  up  his  fowling-piece,  which  was  loaded  with 
half  a  dozen  buck  shot ;  and,  watching  for  a  time  when  the 
shark  was  comparatively  quiet,  the  skipper  let  drive  the  whole 
charge  into  his  head.  The  old  fellow  felt  it,  without  doubt, 
for  he  made  a  leap  about  ten  feet  straight  up,  and  came  down 
with  a  jerk  that  freed  his  man-trap  from  the  fish  hook,  and 
down,  down  he  went  through  the  water,  which  was  discolored 
with  his  blood,  in  spiral  circles,  round  and  round,  until  we 
lost  sight  of  him  in  the  distance,  when  all  hands  off  caps,  and 
gave  three  grand  hurrahs." 

"  Well,  well,"  muttered  Captain  Sinclair,  who  was  some 
what  impatient  at  Tom's  garrulity,  "  what,  in  the  name  of 
tediousness,  has  this  big  shark,  which  your  captain  shot,  to  do 
with  the  loss  of  your  fingers  ?  " 

•'  Nothing  at  all,  sir,"  replied  old  Bobus,  with  a  broad  grin. 
"  Lord  bless  you,  sir,  we  never  saw  him  again !  But  we  soon 
coaxed  another  shark  under  the  stern,  and  by  towing  a  piece 
of  salt  junk,  real  mahogany,  we  managed  to  get  him  into  the 
bight  of  a  bowline.  '  Handsomely  !  Handsomely  !  '  said  the 
mate,  who  was  an  old  hand  at  the  business.  '  Stand  by,  my 
lads,  to  gather  in  the  slack.'  He  then  gently  let  fall  the  rope, 
and  shouted,  '  Haul  in,  men,  haul  in !  '  and  Pilgarlick  was 


82  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

caught  by  the  tail  —  fairly  noosed  —  and  roused  alongside  in 
spite  of  all  his  flounderings  and  efforts  to  get  loose,  amid  the 
jokes,  the  jeers,  the  laughter,  and  exulting  shouts,  of  all  hands. 

"  We  had  tough  work  to  get  him  on  deck  ;  and  when  there, 
safely  landed  on  the  larboard  side,  we  wished  him  back  into 
the  water  again;  for  he  took  possession  of  the  waist  and 
kept  it  for  a  while,  and  in  the  most  ungenteel  and  savage 
manner  imaginable,  throwing  himself  into  every  variety  of 
posture,  as  uneasy  as  a  fish  out  of  water,  and  snapping  and 
biting  at  everything  within  reach  of  his  jaws.  The  fore  sheet 
,  was  severed  by  this  furious  beast  in  three  or  four  places,  cut 
off  as  clean  as  it  could  be  done  by  a  rigger's  knife.  The 
main  clue-garnet  was  served  in  the  same  unhandsome  manner ; 
also,  the  fore  top-gallant  halliards,  the  larboard  main  bunt- 
line,  the  throat  halliards  of  the  main  spencer,  and  divers 
other  ropes  which  unfortunately  happened  to  be  in  his  way. 
He  would  grind  them  off  with  his  teeth,  as  if  they  were  the 
whiskers  of  a  squid ;  and,  when  the  ropes  were  removed  out 
of  his  reach,  he  seized  a  spare  top-gallant  mast  between  his 
teeth,  and  took  out  a  piece  as  big  as  my  leg,  which  spoiled 
the  stick  forever  ! 

" '  Kill  the  rascal,'  screamed  the  captain,  when  he  saw  the 
mischief  the  shark  was  doing  ;  '  cut  off  his  tail  with  the  cook's 
axe  —  beat  out  his  brains  with  a  handspike  ! ' ' 

"  But  the  orders  were  more  easily  given  than  executed.  The 
second  mate  made  a  furious  blow  at  him  with  the  axe,  but 
missed  him,  and  left  a  deep  mark  in  the  deck.  And  as  to 
pounding  his  head  with  a  handspike,  why,  Lord  bless  you,  sir, 
it  was  no  more  use  than  to  bombard  the  Rock  of  Gibraltar, 
or  try  to  shoot  a  flying-fish  on  the  wing.  He  was  in  a  fair 
way  of  conquering  all  hands,  and  taking  complete  possession 
of  the  decks,  when  I  found  a  way  to  bring  him  to  his  bear 
ings.  I  seized  the  cook's  tormentors,  and  served  him  as  Sin- 
bad,  that  glorious  old  sailor,  served  the  one-eyed  and  long- 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  83 

eared  giant,  who  wanted  to  cook  and  eat  him  for  supper. 
Watching  a  chance  when  the  shark  was  making  a  dash  at  the 
leg  of  old  Joe  Tompkins,  I  thrust  one  of  the  prongs  of  the 
tormentors  plump  into  his  starboard  eye ;  but  such  a  look 
as  he  gave  me  with  the  other,  1  shall  not  soon  forget.  It  was 
as  much  as  to  say,  '  If  I'm  not  revenged  on  you,  old  chap,  for 
this  friendly  turn,  call  me  a  lobster,  that's  all ; '  and  he  was 
as  good  as  his  word ! 

"  I  did  not  mind  his  looks  at  the  time,  but  punched  away  at 
him  until  I  punched  out  his  other  eye,  when  he  looked  for  all 
the  world  like  a  green-horn  of  a  Yankee  after  a  rough-and-  , 
tumble  fight  with  a  Kentuckian ;  and  as  he  could  not  keep  a 
lookout  alow  or  aloft,  we  had  it  all  our  own  way — and,  al 
though  it  was  mightily  against  his  will,  John  Shark  was  at 
last  compelled  to  give  in. 

"  The  captain  felt^very  angry  at  the  mischief  which  the  rogue 
had  done  out  of  sheer  spite,  and  ordered  the  head  and  tail  to 
be  cut  off,  and  the  body  to  be  thrown  overboard  ;  a  sentence 
which  was  executed  on  the  spot.  The  body  flopped  about  a 
good  deal  when  we  got  it  on  the  gunwale,  and  seemed  as 
lively  as  a  rocket  at  the  idea  of  being  restored  to  its  natural 
element.  Bill  Jones  cried  out — '  Watch  ho,  watch  ! '  and  we 
soused  it  overboard.  It  made  an  awkward  piece  of  work 
swimming  about  without  any  rudder,  and  seemed  sadly 
bothered  for  the  loss  of  its  head,  and  every  now  and  then  it 
looked  up  towards  the  ship,  as  if  beseeching  us  to  toss  the 
head  overboard,  that  it  might  join  company,  and  go  about  its 
business ! " 

"  And  did  you  not  do  it  ?  "  eagerly  asked  Captain  Sinclair, 
who,  in  the  interest  which  he  felt  in  Dick's  story  about  the 
persecuted  shark,  forgot  for  the  moment  the  missing  fingers. 

"  Do  it  ?  No,  sir !  we  knew  a  trick  worth  two  of  it.  The 
tail  we  nailed  to  the  ship's  belfry,  and  it  is  there  now,  for 
what  I  know.  As  for  the  head,  I  took  care  of  that  myself, 


84  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

for,  as  the  jaws  were  furnished  with  some  half  dozen  rows  of 
remarkably  fine  teeth,  I  thought  I  should  like  to  preserve 
them  as  a  kind  of  curiosity  like.  So  I  cut  off  the  skin,  and 
as  much  of  the  flesh  as  I  could ;  but  the  old  fellow  did  not 
like  the  operation  at  all,  and  made  a  snap  at  my  fingers 
several  times  before  I  got  through  with  it ;  for  you  know,  sir, 
a  shark  is  a  monstrous  long-lived  creature,  and  is  terribly 
loath  to  give  up  the  ship.  But  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  dodge 
him  every  time,  and  finally  got  him  —  that  is,  the  head  — 
into  the  cook's  coppers,  half  full  of  boiling  water,  which  I 
thought  would  tame  him,  and  take  the  mischief  out  of  him, 
if  anything  would.  And  it  answered  the  purpose  pretty 
well ;  for,  after  boiling  the  head  three  or  four  hours,  the  jaws 
remained  quiet  for  a  time,  and  I  managed  to  scrape  the  bone 
without  much  danger  to  my  fingers,  and  soon  had  as  pretty  and 
clean  a  skeleton  of  the  jaws  —  a  real  anatomy  —  as  I  could 
wish. 

"  I  really  felt  proud  of  my  success,  and,  for  fear  of  accidents, 
carefully  stowed  away  the  jaws  in  the  bottom  of  my  chest, 
intending  not  to  trouble  them  again  until  we  got  safe  into 
port.  But  it  so  happened  that  the  next  night  I  got  wet 
through,  drenched  from  clue  to  earing,  by  a  spray,  while 
twigging  out  the  fore-top  bowline,  and  was  obliged  to  go  below 
at  six  bells  and  change  my  duds.  I  opened  my  chest  in  the 
dark,  and,  while  feeling  down  towards  the  bottom  to  get  hold 
of  a  Guernsey  frock,  thinking  of  nothing  particular,  except 
ing  that  it  was  uncomfortably  cold,  I  foolishly  thrust  my 
fingers  into  the  open  jaws  of  the  shark, —  I  ought  to  have 
known  better,  especially  as  this  fellow  owed  me  a  grudge  for 
the  loss  of  his  eyes,  —  when,  presto !  in  the  twinkling  of  a 
handspike,  the  two  jaws  came  together  like  a  steel  trap,  clos 
ing  on  my  fore-finger  and  thumb  with  a  terrible  noise  !  " 

Captain  Sinclair,  who  had  been  listening  with  exemplary 
attention  to  pick  Bobus'  narrative,  started  back  aghast  at 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  85 

I 

hearing  of  the  sad  and  unexpected  catastrophe,  and  involun 
tarily  cast  a  look  at  his  own  broad  palm,  to  see  if  it  was  not 
abridged  of  some  of  its  terminations,  while  Dick,  with  a  coun 
tenance  as  serious  as  a  merman's  when  seated  on  a  rock, 
brushing  his  long  beard  with  a  porcupine  fish,  finished  his 
yarn,  in  the  following  style  : 

"  I  am  not  ashamed  to  confess,  sir,  that  I  was  not  only 
astonished,  but  absolutely  frightened,  at  this  sudden  assault 
upon  my  fingers,  for  the  rogue  took  me  altogether  unawares. 
Besides,  the  pain  was  most  intolerable ;  thumbscrews,  such  as 
were  used  in  old  times  to  force  good  men  to  confess  their  mis 
deeds,  were  not  a  circumstance  to  it.  And,  although  I  can 
stand  as  much  pain  on  common  occasions  as  most  men,  yet  I 
could  not  stand  that,  but  actually  roared  for  help  like  an  al 
ligator  with  the  toothache  ;  raising  a  yell  in  my  agony  that 
could  have  been  heard  in  a  calm  night  at  least  half  a  dozen 
miles ! 

"  This,  of  course,  roused  all  hands  with  a  vengeance.  The 
watch  below,  with  the  cook  at  their  head,  tumbled  out  of 
their  berths,  and  the  watch  on  deck,  with  the  steward,  chief 
mate,  second  mate  and  captain,  all  tumbled  down  into  the 
forecastle,  to  see  what  was  the  cause  of  the  terrible  hullabal- 
loo.  As  soon  as  a  light  was  mustered,  there  stood  I,  poor 
Dick  Bobus,  with  my  hand  in  the  shark's  mouth,  the  blood 
trickling  from  my  fingers,  and  screaming  right  lustily  for 
mercy  and  for  help  !  By  the  aid  of  a  crowbar  and  a  couple 
of  marlinspikes  they  managed  to  pry  open  the  jaws  of  the 
monster,  and  get  my  hand  out  of  the  trap.  But  it  was  too 
late  —  my  thumb  and  forefinger  were  gone  forever,  or  as 
good  as  gone,  for  the  bones  were  bit  through,  and  they  hung 
only  by  a  piece  of  the  skin.  The  captain  took  his  penknife, 
severed  the  skin,  and  then  tossed  overboard  the  skeleton  head 
and  my  unfortunate  fingers.  My  wounds  were  carefully  at 
tended  to,  and  in  three  weeks  were  entirely  healed ;  and 
8 


86  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

now,"  continued  Dick,  with  a  confident  grin,  "  if  any  man 
doubts  the  truth  of  my  story,  I  should  like  to  have  him  take 
a  look  at  the  stumps  of  my  fingers,  that's  all,"  —  and  he 
held  out  his  mutilated  hand,  which  was  admitted  by  Captain 
Sinclair,  and  all  hands  on  board  the  Sky-rocket,  to  be  positive 
proof  of  the  truth  of  his  narrative ! 

The  worthy  skipper  of  the  Sky-rocket  seemed  much  edified 
with  Dick  Bobus's  story.  He  merely  remarked  to  the  chief 
officer,  that  the  longer  we  live  the  more  we  learn,  and  he  had 
had  no  idea  before  that  a  shark,  although  a  dreadful  hard 
creature  to  kill,  would  live  so  long  after  he  was  dead,  or 
after  his  head  was  cut  off,  which  amounted  to  pretty  much  the 
same  thing !  He  pondered  long  and  deeply  upon  the  subject, 
and  the  next  morning  after  breakfast,  while  making  sage  re 
flections  on  the  extraordinary  coincidence  that  two  of  the  sea 
men  on  board  should  be  stinted  in  their  due  proportion  of 
fingers,  his  attention  was  arrested  by  a  trifling  peculiarity  in 
the  costume  of  the  man  at  the  wheel,  Mike  Mullins,  a  fine- 
looking  fellow  and  a  thorough  Yankee  sailor.  The  weather 
was  moderate,  for  it  was  a  pleasant  morning  in  the  month  of 
May,  notwithstanding  which,  Mike  wore  a  thick  woollen  mit 
ten  on  his  right  hand.  Captain  Sinclair  saw  it,  for  he  was  a 
close  observer  as  well  as  a  shrewd  reasoner,  and  thought  it 
had  a  suspicious  appearance.  "  Halloo,  Mike ! "  said  he,  "  what 's 
the  matter  with  your  hand  ?  Why  do  you  wear  a  mitten  ? 
Hey ! " 

Mike  looked  rather  confused.  "  My  hand  is  not  much 
hurt,  sir,"  said  he  in  a  hesitating  manner,  "  only  jammed  a 
little  by  rigging  out  the  fore-topmast  studding-sail  boom  last 
night.  It  will  be  well  enough  in  a  day  or  two,  I  dare  say." 

Captain  Sinclair  looked  sternly  at  Mike  Mullins,  and  in 
a  slow  but  firm  and  decided  tone,  said,  "  Let  me  see  your 
hand,  sir!  Off  with  that  mitten,  at  once  !  " 

Mike  saw  there  was  no  means  of  evading  or  postponing 


THREE-FINGERED    JACKS.  87 

the  execution  of  this  order,  and  slowly  pulled  off  the  woollen 
covering  to  his  fingers,  when  not  only  to  the  unspeakable  as 
tonishment,  but  to  the  actual  horror  of  the  skipper,  two  of 
the  fingers  of  the  right  hand  were  missing !  He  started 
back  as  if  he  had  grasped  an  electric  eel,  and  exclaimed,  in  a 
voice  of  thunder,  "  Another  THREE-FINGERED  JACK,  by  all 
that 's  glorious  !  " 

Captain  Sinclair  did  not  fall  into  a  passion,  or  storm,  or 
rave,  or  scold.  It  seemed  to  be  his /ate  to  be  persecuted  by 
men  with  missing  fingers ;  and,  like  a  wise  philosopher,  he 
concluded  to  submit  to  it  without  further  struggling.  Besides, 
a  laudable  curiosity  had  some  share  in  teaching  him  resigna 
tion  to  his  lot ;  and  in  a  tone  rather  mild  than  angry,  he  in 
quired,  "  How  did  }-ou  lose  your  fingers,  Mike  ?  " 

"  They  were  bit  off,  sir  ?  " 

"Bit  off!     Is  it  possible  ?" 

"  Fact,  sir,"  replied  Mike.  "  Taken  off  in  handsome  style, 
.00.  They  went  into  a  mill,  where  they  were  ground  down 
in  less  time  than  it  would  take  to  splice  the  main  brace." 

"  ;T  was  a  hard  case,  Mike,"  said  the  sympathizing  skipper, 
"  and  the  operation  must  have  been  a  painful  one.  Tell  us 
all  about  it,  my  good  fellow !  " 

Thus  adjured,  Mike  Mullins  transferred  something  less 
thau  half  a  yard  of  pig-tail  from  his  pocket  to  his  mouth, 
cocked  his  eye  at  Dick  Bobus,  who  was  standing  hard  by, 
setting  up  the  niizen  top-gallant  back-stays,  and  shot  ahead 
in  the  following  style : 

MIKE    MULLIXS'    STORY. 

"  I  was  born  in  a  place  called  Yallanibrosa,  a  thriving  and 
populous  village  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  river; 
and  being,  from  a  boy,  of  a  bold  and  adventurous  disposition, 
with  a  hardy  constitution,  and  more  fond  of  frolic  and  mis 
chief  than  hard  work,  I  foolishly  ran  away  from  a  comfort- 


88  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

able  home,  when  only  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  went  to  sea. 
For  seven  years,  in  succession,  I  followed  a  sailor's  life,  and 
visited  many  parts  of  the  globe,  when  the  whim  took  me,  on 
my  return  from  a  voyage  to  Calcutta,  to  visit  my  native  town 
once  more,  pay  my  respects  to  my  parents,  and  astonish  the 
natives  by  my  presence. 

"  I  can  say,  without  vanity,  that  I  was  then  a  good-looking 
young  man,  about  five  feet  ten  inches  in  stockings,  clean 
limbed,  and  hands  somewhat  hard  and  horny;  but  I  had  cul 
tivated  a  pair  of  glorious  black  whiskers,  had  on  hand  a  good 
stock  of  assurance, —  some  called  it  impudence,  —  and  was  fully 
sensible  of  the  personal  advantages  I  possessed.  I  rigged 
myself  out  in  true  sailor  style :  a  handsome  blue  jacket  and 
trousers,  white  vest,  white  stockings,  and  a  pair  of  pumps,  a 
bandanna  kerchief  tied  carelessly  around  my  neck,  and  a  neat- 
looking,  narrow-rimmed  tarpaulin  hat  planted  jauntily  upon 
my  head.  In  this  costume,  fully  resolved  to  make  a  sensation 
among  the  girls  of  the  village,  I  returned,  after  an  absence  of 
seven  years,  to  the  place  of  my  birth. 

"  I  found  that  my  mother,  one  of  the  best  women  that 
ever  breathed  the  breath  of  life,  had  been  dead  for  three 
years,  and  my  father  was  married  again  to  a  young  damsel 
about  my  own  age.  However,  he  received  me  kindly,  and 
urged  me  to  quit  my  wandering  mode  of  life,  abandon  my 
unsteady  habits,  and  assist  him  in  carrying  on  the  farm.  And 
when  I  looked  around  me,  and  saw  what  a  contented,  com 
fortable  people  inhabited  that  little  village,  and  reflected  that 
they  never  had  occasion  to  turn  out  in  a  gale  of  wind  on  a 
winter's  coast  to  reef  topsails  or  send  down  top-gallant  yards, 
were  never  put  upon  short  allowance,  or  hazed  about  by  a 
consequential  mate,  I  pretty  much  resolved  to  bid  farewell  to 
salt  water,  and  anchor  for  life  on  the  banks  of  the  Connecti 
cut. 

"  I  lost  no  time  in  visiting  our  neighbors,  especially  those 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  89 

who  had  attractive  daughters,  and,  thanks  to  my  personal 
appearance  and  engaging  manners,  was  treated  with  as  much 
cordiality  and  attention  as  I  deserved  —  perhaps  more.  The 
sins  of  the  mischievous  Mike  were  forgotten.  That  little 
urchin  was  transformed  into  '  Mr.  MullinsJ  a  stranger  from 
foreign  parts,  who  could  crack  a  good  joke,  and  spin  a  tough 
yarn  to  astonish  the  country  bumpkins.  Being  rather  flush 
of  money,  I  thought  I  would  enjoy  myself  for  a  spell  before 
I  took  hold  of  the  plough  and  hoe,  and  fairly  entered  on  my 
farming  duties.  I  spent  my  time  in  visiting,  in  getting  up 
little  parties  among  the  young  folks,  and  in-  trying  to  make 
myself  agreeable  to  the  girls  in  the  neighborhood,  in  which  I 
succeeded  far  beyond  my  expectations. 

"  It  is  a  fact,  Captain  Sinclair,  and  I  don't  believe  a  man 
of  your  appearance  has  lived  so  many  years  in  the  world  with 
out  finding  it  out,  that  the  girls  like  a  sailor  better  than  a 
landsman  "  (the  captain  smiled,  and  looked  at  Mike  as  if  he 
understood  him),  "  especially,  if  he  is  a  good-looking,  harum- 
scarum  sort  of  a  fellow,  well  stocked  with  impudence,  and 
somewhat  of  a  vagabond  in  his  tastes  and  habits."  (The  cap 
tain  looked  grave.)  "  I  possessed  all  these  qualifications  to  a 
very  enviable  extent,  and  there  was  hardly  a  girl  within  five 
miles  of  Vallambrosa,  who  would  not  have  jumped  at  the 
chance  to  join  me  in  a  frolic,  or  accompany  me  in  a  ride 
or  a  walk,  even  with  the  certainty  of  giving  mortal  offence  to 
the  quiet,  patient,  plodding,  good  soul,  who  had  perhaps  been 
dangling  after  her  for  a  twelvemonth,  and  whom  she  had  pretty 
much  resolved  to  make  happy  with  her  hand.  In  the  course 
of  the  few  weeks  which  I  remained  ashore,  I  sowed  the  seeds 
of  many  a  bitter  quarrel,  and  have  reason  to  believe  that  I 
was  the  direct  cause  of  many  family  feuds,  dissensions  and 
heart-burnings  among  plighted  lovers,  that  were  not  healed  for 
a  twelvemonth  afterwards,  if  ever.  Mike  Mull  ins  made  a 
decided  sensation  in  Yallambrosa. 


90  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

"The  prettiest  girl  in  the  parish  was  Harriet  Pheasanton — 
a  thoughtless,  frolicsome,  dashing  sort  of  girl,  with  blooming 
dimpled  cheeks,  and  roguish  black  eyes.  I  had  not  been  in 
her  company  many  times,  before  I  took  a  particular  fancy  to 
Harriet,  and  when  I  saw  her  cheerful,  sunny  face,  and  listened 
to  her  ringing  laugh,  I  could  not  help  thinking  that  such  a 
bright  being,  if  I  could  win  her  affections,  and  call  her  my 
own,  would  be  a  very  comfortable  addition  to  the  furniture  of 
the  old  farm,  and  help  me  in  a  wonderful  degree  to  bear  any 
irksome  and  tedious  duties  incident  to  a  farmer's  life.  Be 
sides,  Harriet  was  not  only  a  lovely  girl,  but  she  had  a  hand 
some  little  property  in  her  own  right ;  a  circumstance  which 
in  my  eyes  added  to  her  charms,  and  decided  me  to  make  a 
bold  push  for  a  wife  and  a  fortune. 

"  But  there  were  obstacles  in  the  way  which  would  have 
discouraged  at  the  outset  any  youth  of  a  less  enterprising 
spirit,  or  who  had  a  humbler  opinion  of  his  own  merits  than 
I  entertained  of  mine.  She  was  already  partly  if  not  wholly 
engaged  to  a  very  excellent  young  man,  Ralph  Denison,  who 
was  not  only  smiled  upon  by  Harriet,  but  regarded  with  favor 
by  her  uncle  and  guardian,  Mr.  Pheasanton,  with  whom  she 
lived.  And  I  had  reason  to  believe  that  her  uncle  was  unable 
to  appreciate  my  merits,  but  looked  upon  me  as  a  roistering, 
dissipated  young  fellow,  to  whose  care  the  happiness  of  no 
estimable  young  lady  should  be  entrusted.  Indeed,  he  was  a 
close-fisted,  sober-minded,  cross-grained-looking  chap,  who 
never  was  known  to  crack  a  joke,  or  even  to  laugh  at  one,  in 
the  course  of  his  life,  and  had  no  more  idea  of  the  nature 
and  strength  of  a  tender  attachment  between  two  congenial 
souls,  than  a  Blue  Point  oyster.  I  may  as  well  state  here 
that  he  was  somewhat  noted  for  the  size  and  brilliancy  of  his 
teeth  —  and  was  known  in  the  village  by  the  purser's  name 
of  '  Old  Ivories.' 

"  Despairing  of  gaining  his  favor,  I  resolved  to  lay  siege 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  91 

to  the  heart  of  his  blooming  niece,  press  it  with  vigor,  and,  if 
necessary,  carry  it  by  storm.  And  here,  thanks  to  my  good 
looks,  my  swaggering  air,  and  my  modest  assurance,  I  found 
less  resistance  than  I  was  prepared  to  expect.  One  evening, 
at  the  close  of  a  quilting  frolic  at  Colonel  Henderson's,  after 
flirting  and  laughing  with  Harriet  during  the  whole  evening, 
to  the  great  surprise  and  anger  of  Ralph  Denison,  who  had 
looked  heavers  and  handspikes  at  me  for  hours,  I  made  up 
my  mind  to  wait  upon  her  home.  When  she  got  rigged  all 
ready  for  a  start,  Ralph,  who  was  standing  sulkily  by,  stepped 
slowly  towards  her  and  mechanically  offered  his  arm.  At 
that  moment  I  glided  between  the  affectionate  couple,  and 
without  saying  a  word,  thrust  Harriet's  arm  within  my  own, 
and  proudly  walked  off  with  my  prize  in  tow  !  She  seemed 
surprised,  but  not  at  all  offended,  by  my  presumption,  and, 
when  at  a  late  hour  we  reached  the  dwelling-house  of  4  Old 
Ivories,'  for  we  walked  along  very  leisurely,  Ralph  Denison's 
nose  was  considerably  out  of  joint. 

"  Ralph  was  not  deficient  in  spirit,  however,  and  chose  to 
regard  my  proceedings  as  an  affront  which  he  was  determined 
to  resent ;  and  the  next  day  he  called  upon  me,  and,  with  a 
savage  expression  on  his  countenance,  asked  me  for  an  expla 
nation  of  my  conduct.  I  saw  what  he  would  be  at.  Of  course 
I  could  give  no  explanation  that  would  be  satisfactory  to  him, 
and  thought  it  would  be  as  well  to  settle  the  matter  on  the 
spot.  He  was  a  strong-built,  muscular  fellow,  but  he  did  not 
know  how  to  handle  his  flippers,  and,  when  we  separated,  he 
looked  more  like  a  savage  than  ever,  with  two  black  circles 
around  his  eyes,  and  his  face  ornamented  with  several  fanciful 
streaks  of  deep  red  ! 

"  The  affair  attracted  attention,  and  it  soon  became  noised 
about  that  Mike  Mullins  and  Harriet  Pheasanton  understood 
each  other  perfectly  well.  Several  fair  damsels  in  the  village, 
to  whom  I  had  been  very  polite,  and  perhaps  particular  in  my 


92  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

attentions,  turned  up  their  pretty  noses  at  the  news,  and  made 
some  disparaging  remarks  upon  my  want  of  taste.  Mr. 
Pheasanton,  as  in  duty  bound,  he  said,  talked  like  a  father  to 
Harriet  on  the  subject,  warned  her  against  forming  a  connec 
tion  -with  a  rattle-brained  sailor,  who  never  would  be  able  to 
earn  salt  for  his  porridge,  assured  her  that  he  would  not 
consent  to  such  an  ill-advised  copartnership,  and  wound  up  by 
telling  her  never  to  hold  any  intercourse  with  me  again.  But 
Harriet  was  a  true  woman,  and  scorned  to  be  dictated  to  in  an 
affair  which  concerned  her  affections.  She  met  me  the  same 
evening  in  an  old  apology  for  a  summer-house,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  garden,  and  told  me  all  that  had  passed  between  her 
self  and  her  guardian.  She  was  evidently  piqued  at  his  con 
duct,  and  began  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  your  humble  ser 
vant,  which  was  undoubtedly  an  indication  of  a  correct  taste 
on  her  part.  I  took  advantage  of  this  state  of  her  affections, 
and,  in  the  most  impassioned  language,  described  the  intensity 
of  my  love.  I  expatiated  on  the  tyranny  of  her  guardian, 
and,  when  I  had  roused  her  feelings  to  the  proper  pitch,  I  em 
ployed  all  a  sailor's  eloquence  to  induce  her  to  set  his  author 
ity  at  defiance,  and  accompany  me  to  the  little  state  of 
Rhode  Island,  where  the  laws  placed  no  obstacle  or  delay  to 
the  happiness  of  impatient  lovers.  There  we  would  fly,  and, 
in  spite  of  the  slander  or  envious  whispers  of  an  ill-natured 
world,  secure  our  own  happiness  for  life,  by  making  that* 
matrimonial  splice  which  cannot  be  drawn ;  by  tying  that 
nuptial  knot  which  cannot  be  loosened  by  a  marling-spike,  or 
severed  by  the  sharpest  jack-knife." 

"That  is  to  say,  in  plain  English,"  interrupted  Captain 
Sinclair,  "  you  tried  to  entice  the  silly  girl  to  run  away  with 
you  and  get  married.  You  need  not  go  such  a  round-about 
way  to  get  at  it.  So  heave  ahead,  my  lad,  and  save  the 
tide." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  resumed  Mike.     "  The  long  and  the  short 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS.  93 

of  it  was  that  Harriet,  whom  /  always  considered  a  sensible 
girl,  consented  to  elope  with  me  the  following  night.  I  left 
her,  with  an  understanding  that  I  would  make  all  the  neces 
sary  arrangements,  and  let  her  know  the  particulars  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon,  when  I  should  be  able  to  appoint  the 
place  and  the  hour  at  which  I  was  to  meet  her. 

"  The  next  day  I  busied  myself  in  preparing  for  my  intended 
matrimonial  excursion.  31  y  father's  horse,  '  Old  Daisy,' 
was  hardly  clipper  enough  for  the  occasion,  and  I  finally  suc 
ceeded  in  borrowing  Colonel  Henderson's  famous  bay  mare, 
which  could  trot  easily  with  a  chaise  at  the  rate  of  ten  knots 
an  hour ;  tolerably  fast  going,  on  sea  or  land.  I  accordingly 
wrote  to  Harriet  to  be  in  the  summer-house,  at  the  bottom  of 
the  garden,  at  half  past  ten  o'clock,  all  ready  for  a  start.  '  Old 
Ivories '  always  turned  in  at  ten  o'clock  precisely,  and  at  that 
hour,  or  as  soon  after  it  as  possible,  I  would  be  in  the  adjoin 
ing  lane,  with  a  fleet  horse  and  chaise,  to  carry  her  oft7  in 
triumph,  and  make  her  mine  forever.  This  letter  I  entrusted 
to  the  care  of  a  young  cousin  of  mine,  and  gave  him  half  a 
dollar,  with  the  express  understanding  that  he  should  deliver 
it  into  Harriet's  own  hand ;  but  the  booby,  not  being  able  to 
find  my  charmer  at  the  moment,  gave  it  into  the  hands  of 
'  Old  Ivories '  himself,  who,  the  villain,  as  I  afterwards  learned 
to  my  cost,  made  no  scruple  to  break  the  seal,  and  make  him 
self  master  of  its  contents. 

"  As  the  hour  of  my  appointment  drew  nigh,  I  proceeded 
towards  Colonel  Henderson's,  but,  to  my  great  vexation,  found 
that  his  son  had  forgotten  I  had  engaged  the  bay  mare, 
and  she  was  still  in  the  pasture.  Before  she  could  be  caught 
and  rigged,  and  under  way,  the  clock  struck  eleven.  I  took 
my  seat  in  the  chaise,  cracked  the  whip,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
had  reached  the  lane  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  summer- 
house  at  the  bottom  of  the  garden.  I  leaped  out  of  the  chaise, 
and  looked  carefully  around ;  the  night  was  not  very  dark 


94  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

although  there  was  no  moon ;  but  no  person  could  be  seen.  I 
then  clambered  over  the  fence,  and,  entering  the  garden,  pro 
ceeded  towards  the  place  of  rendezvous,  though  not  without 
some  misgivings  that  all  was  not  right. 

"  As  I  reached  the  entrance  of  the  rickety  building,  I  heard 
the  regular  breathing  of  some  person  in  a  deep  sleep.  I  lis 
tened  ;  the  loud  breathing  was  occasionally  varied  with  a 
prolonged  and  unmusical  snore!  Could  this  be  Harriet? 
Could  she  fall  asleep  at  such  a  time,  or  could  she  under  any 
circumstances  give  utterance  to  such  unromantic  sounds? 
But,  said  I  to  myself,  if  it  is  not  Harriet,  who  can  it  be  ?  It 
must  beyond  doubt  be  my  charmer,  who,  tired  of  waiting  for 
my  arrival,  has  fallen  asleep  on  th&seat;  and,  bless  her  bright 
black  eyes  and  narrow  windpipe,  has  perhaps  taken  cold  by 
breathing  the  cold,  damp  evening  air. 

"  I  stepped  forward  softly,  and  groped  my  way  towards  her, 
calling  in  a  gentle  tone,  twice  or  thrice,  *  Harriet !  Harriet !  ' 
But  her  sleep  was  still  undisturbed.  My  right  hand  fell  gently 
on  a  face,  but  the  nose,  a  masculine  Roman,  was  different 
from  Harriet's,  which  was  a  decided  turn-up.  My  fingers 
slipped  from  this  strange  nose  into  a  capacious  mouth,  which 
stood  invitingly  open,  and  from  whose  inner  depths  proceeded 
the  sounds  so  unlike  those  of  an  j33olian  harp,  which  had  dis 
turbed  my  equanimity.  In  an  instant  the  mouth  closed  with 
a  terrible  JERK,  and  my  two  fingers  were  caught,  nabbed,  im 
movably  fixed  between  the  well-furnished  jaw-bones  of  '  Old 
Ivories ' ! 

"  Yes,  thb  remorseless  old  rascal  had  fairly  entrapped  me  in 
a  way  altogether  unexpected  by  either  of  us.  He  had  been 
waiting  for  my  appearance,  armed  with  a  good  cudgel,  until 
he  had  lost  all  patience  with  my  slow  movements,  and  had 
sunk  fast  asleep  on  a  seat,  with  his  tremendous  jaws  extended 
like  a  crocodile,  when  about  to  catch  a  delicious  dish  of  flies. 

"  The  Did  fellow  vindicated  his  claim  to  the  nickname  of 


THREE-FINGERED    JACKS, 


95 


Ivories,  for  he  nipped  my  fingers  to  the  bone  when  he  first 
closed  his  jaws.  And,  sir,  if  you  have  never  been  taken  in, 
or  had  your  fingers  taken  in,  in  this  way,  you  can  have  no  idea 
of  the  excruciating  pain  which  is  produced  by  such  a  terrible 
grip.  I  tost  all  ray  strength  in  my  agony,  and  became  as 
feeble  and  incapable  of  resistance  as  an  infant.  I  could  do 
nothing  but  roar,  and  that  I  did  right  lustily.  I  screamed 
Help!  Help!  Thieves!  Fire!  Robbers!  Murder!  with  all 
the  strength  of  my  lungs,  and  soon  awakened  all  the  sleepers 
in  Vallambrosa,  and  set  the  whole  village  in  an  uproar. 

"  In  less  time  than  it  would  take  to  pipe  all  hands  on  board 
of  a  man-of-war,  more  than  a  dozen  active  and  powerful 
young  men,  armed  with  clubs,  pitchforks,  hoes,  and  crowbars, 
were  rushing  towards  the  summer-house  from  every  quarter; 
but  *  Old  Ivories '  held  on  like  a  lobster  to  the  heel  of  a  fisher 
man,  and  my  convulsive  struggles  to  disengage  my  fingers 
only  caused  him  to  nip  the  harder  ;  and  by  the  time  the  fright 
ened  villagers,  clad  in  their  airy  dresses,  had  reached  the 
Bummer-house,  the  old  barracooter  had  actually  bitten 
through  the  bones,  and  I  had  sunk  fainting  to  the  floor !  " 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say,  Mike,  that  Mr.  Pheasanton  bit  your 
fingers  clean  off  ?  "  inquired  the  skipper  in  an  eager  voice,  and 
with  his  eyes  protruding  from  their  sockets. 

"To  be  sure,  sir.  The  old  ragamuffin  took  them  off  as 
clean  as  the  cook  could  do  it  with  his  chopping-knife ;  and 
when  his  neighbors,  who  were  strongly  prejudiced  against  me, 
reached  the  scene  of  action,  and  inquired  into  the  cause  of 
the  disturbance,  he  coolly  justified  his  cruel  and  inhuman  con 
duct,  by  relating  all  the  circumstances  attending  my  affair 
with  Harriet,  and  exhibiting  my  letter  ;  and  all  the  satisfaction 
I  got,  was  to  hear  the  whole  know-nothing  set,  and  Ralph 
Denison  among  them,  burst  out  into  a  loud  guffaw,  and  declare 
that  I  was  rightly  served,  and  they  hoped  it  would  be  a 
solemn  warning  to  me  to  behave  better  in  future.  The  sneak- 


96  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

ing  lubbers  !  I  only  wish  I  was  boatswain  to  a  good  ship  on 
a  pepper  voyage  to  Sumatra,  and  they  formed  a  portion  of 
the  crew  ;  that 's  all  the  harm  I  wish  them  ! 

"  Completely  prostrated  by  disappointment,  mortification , 
and  pain,  I  could  not  say  a  word  in  my  defence,  but  sheered 
off  sheepishly,  on  my  way  to  my  father's  house,  leaving 
Harriet  Pheasanton,  Colonel  Henderson's  bay  mare,  Ralph 
Denison,  and  the  fragments  of  my  fingers,  to  take  care  of 
themselves  —  which  I  suppose  they  did,  for  I  never  heard  of 
them  from  that  time  to  this. 

"  My  love  was  effectually  cured.  I  found  there  was  a  dark 
as  well  as  a  bright  side  to  these  frolics  with  the  girls.  I  con 
ceived  a  disgust  to  a  farmer's  life  ;  and,  as  to  the  people  who 
lived  in  the  humdrum,  peaceful  village  of  Yallambrosa,  I  have 
ever  held  them  in  utter  contempt.  But,  poor  fellows,  per 
haps  they  are  more  to  be  pitied  than  blamed ;  much  ought  not 
to  be  expected  of  men  who  never  even  looked  upon  salt  water. 
I  wish  I  had  the  ducking  of  'em  in  it ! 

"  As  soon  as  my  hand  was  cured,  I  bade  farewell  to  the  vil 
lage  of  Vallambrosa  and  the  banks  of  the  Connecticut,  has 
tened  to  the  nearest  seaport,  and  shipped  on  board  the  first 
craft  I  could  find  bound  on  a  foreign  voyage.  The  loss  of  my 
fingers  made  me  rather  awkward  at  first,  but  I  soon  got  used 
to  it;  and  now,  sir,  I  am  not  afraid  to  say  that  I  can  do  a 
seaman's  duty  with  any  whole-handed  man  that  ever  handled 
a  marling-spike  or  fitted  a  parrel  to  a  topsail  yard." 

"  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  it !  "  replied  Captain  Sinclair, 
with  a  good-natured  smile ;  and  after  communing  a  few  min 
utes  with  himself,  he  turned  to  the  mate  and  ordered  him  to 
call  aft  all  hands.  In  a  few  minutes  every  man  on  board  was 
standing  around  the  capstan,  when  Captain  Sinclair,  like  a 
schoolmaster  about  to  ferule  a  delinquent  class,  ordered  them  to 
hold  out  their  hands  !  He  then  examined  them  carefully  one 
by  one,  but  found  no  more  fingers  missing  than  he  had  already 


THREE-FINGERED   JACKS. 


97 


discovered,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  joint  of  the  cook's 
little  finger,  which  the  "  doctor  "  said  was  snipped  off  by  him 
self  one  unlucky  morning  when  he  was  chopping  some  salt 
beef  to  make  a  mess  of  lobscouse. 

Whether  the  captain  rejoiced  at  or  regretted  this  result 
may  be  a  question,  although  it  is  recorded  that  when  he 
ordered  the  men  to  attend  to  their  duties  again,  he  said  to 
Mr.  Sandford  in  an  under  tone,  and  in  accents  rather  serious 
than  gay,  "  Well,  it  can't  be  helped,  but  we  shall  have  no 
more  stories  this  voyage  from  Three-fingered  Jacks '  " 


THE  WIDOW  MORRISON. 


What  is  thy  name 


Thou  hast  a  grim  appearance,  and  thy  face 
Bears  a  command  in  't.     Tho'  thy  tackle's  torn, 
Thou  show'st  a  noble  vessel.     What  is  thy  name  1 

SHAKSPEARE. 

ON  a  visit  to  a  friend,  a  number  of  years  ago,  who  resided 
in  a  pleasant  little  town  in  the  country,  which  I  shall  call 
Lausanne,  my  attention  was  one  morning  attracted  to  a  neat 
cottage,  beautifully  situated  in  a  vale,  at  the  distance  of  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  main  road.  I  passed  through  a 
narrow  lane,  which,  winding  around  a  gentle  eminence  crowned 
with  majestic  forest  trees,  led  past  the  secluded  dwelling.  It 
was  in  the  month  of  June ;  nature  was  arrayed  in  her  holi 
day  garments,  and  the  whole  vegetable  kingdom  was  rejoic 
ing. 

The  cottage  appeared  like  the  abode  of  happiness.  It  was 
a  neat  and  sufficiently  spacious  building,  with  a  thick  forest 
in  the  rear,  a  murmuring  limpid  stream  in  front,  and  cul 
tivated  grounds  on  either  side.  This  humble  dwelling  was 
surrounded  with  shrubbery  ;  and  woodbines,  climbing  up  and 
clinging  to  the  roof,  a  neat  flower  garden  beneath  the  win 
dows,  and  some  geraniums  in  blossom  on  the  green  before  the 
door,  with  the  atmosphere  of  comfort,  of  rural  elegance,  which 
seemed  to  surround  it,  furnished  convincing  evidence  that  a 
woman  of  refined  taste  and  cultivated  mind  was  the  presiding 
genius  of  the  place. 


THE   WIDOW    MORRISON.  99 

As  I  looked  around,  with  a  view  to  gain  information,  I 
saw  a  man  employed  in  trimming  some  rose-bushes,  in  the 
adjoining  garden,  and  I  thought  I  would  make  some  inqui 
ries  of  him,  relative  to  the  inmates  of  this  charming  residence ; 
but  his  appearance  was  so  remarkable  that  I  relinquished  my 
intention  as  soon  as  it  was  formed.  His  complexion  was 
brown,  even  to  swarthiness ;  his  brow  was  wrinkled  with  age 
or  sorrow ;  his  face  was  seamed  with  scars,  giving  a  sinister 
expression  to  his  countenance ;  his  look  manifested  determi 
nation,  even  to  fierceness,  and  one  of  his  arms  was  maimed, 
and  hung  useless  at  his  side. 

The  appearance  of  this  man  did  not  correspond  with  the 
character  of  the  cottage,  and  the  beautiful  grounds.  It  was 
not  in  keeping  with  the  place,  and  the  sight  of  him  caused  a 
feeling  of  disappointment.  This  man  seemed  to  be  at  home; 
perhaps  he  was  the  owner  of  the  place.  But  no,  I  whispered 
to  myself,  that  could  hardly  be.  He  must  be  a  day-laborer, 
employed  for  a  brief  period  only ;  but  the  sight  of  his  crip 
pled  arm  overthrew  this  hypothesis.  I  turned  to  retrace  my 
steps,  and  had  proceeded  but  a  few  paces,  when  I  heard  the 
sound  of  a  guitar,  and  soon  afterward  a  female,  with  a  voice 
of  much  melody  and  richness,  sung  a  beautiful  popular  song. 
I  lingered  near  the  cottage  until  the  song  was  ended,  when  I 
returned  with  hasty  steps  to  the  hamlet,  in  the  midst  of  which 
my  friend  resided.  I  eagerly  inquired  of  him  who  were  the 
residents  of  the  cottage  in  the  lane. 

"  Cottage  in  the  lane  ?  "  said  he ;  "  that  is  Woodbine  Cot 
tage,  and  the  residence  of  the  widow  Morrison." 

"  The  widow  Morrison  !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  and  pray  tell  me 
who  is  the  widow  Morrison  ?  " 

"  Did  you  never  hear  her  story  ? "  asked  my  friend. 

"  Never." 

"  That 's  singular.     Her  story  is  well  known  in  these  parts, 


100  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

and  has  attracted  much  attention.  I  wonder  that  it  has  never 
got  into  the  newspapers  !  " 

"  But  who  is  the  strange-looking  man,  with  a  face  covered 
with  scars,  whom  I  saw  at  work  in  the  field,  near  the  cot 
tage  ?  " 

"  That,"  replied  my  friend,  "  is  her  husband,  Captain  Mor 
rison." 

"  How  !  her  husband  ?  Did  I  not  understand  you  to  say 
the  widow  Morrison  ?  If  she  has  a  husband  living,  she  surely 
cannot  be  a  widow." 

"  You  are  right,  my  dear  sir.  She  is  no  longer  a  widow  ; 
but  I  have  been  so  long  used  to  Calling  her  the  widow  Morri 
son,  that  I  cannot  overcome  the  habit  at  once.'3 

"  You  excite  my  curiosity,"  said  I.  "  I  should  like  much 
to  hear  something  of  the  story  of  the  widow  Morrison." 

"  Your  wish  shall  be  gratified,"  replied  my  friend,  and  he 
proceeded  forthwith  with  the  following  narrative : 

"  Ira  Morrison  was  born  in  the  good  old  town  of  Boston. 
He  was  the  son  of  Scottish  parents,  who  emigrated  to  this 
country  soon  after  their  marriage,  with  a  view  to  acquire  that 
independence,  and  secure  a  degree  of  comfort,  which  was  de 
nied  them  in  their  native  country.  But,  like  thousands  of 
others,  Mr.  Morrison  learned,  from  bitter  experience,  that 
America  was  not  the  promised  land,  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey,  which  he  had  been  taught  to  believe,  and  that  to  be 
successful  in  business  required  not  only  industry,  capacity, 
and  integrity,  but,  also,  a  knowledge  of  the  people,  of  their 
habits  and  customs,  and  usual  modes  of  transacting  business, 
which  can  only  be  acquired  by  a  residence  among  them  for 
years. 

"  He  was  disappointed,  and,  too  late,  found  that  he  had  been 
duped  by  the  tales  of  selfish  and  designing  speculators;  but, 
entertaining  hopes  of  improving  his  condition,  and  deterred 
by  a  false  pride  from  retrieving  his  error  by  returning  imme- 


THE   WIDOW    MORRISON.  101 

cliately  to  his  native  country,  he  proceeded  into  the  interior, 
and  changed  his  residence  several  times,  struggling  with  mis* 
fortune,  until  the  moderate  funds  which  he  had  brought  with 
him  were  exhausted.  He  then  became  utterly  discouraged, 
and  resorted  to  the  bottle  for  solace.  His  story  is  soon  told  : 
he  died  in  a  poor-house,  and  his  hapless  wife  followed  her 
husband  to  the  grave.  Their  only  son,  Ira,  was  thus  thrown 
upon  the  charities  of  the  world,  alone,  unprotected,  a  friend 
less  and  penniless  orphan,  at  the  early  age  of  fourteen. 

"  But,  thanks  to  the  old  and  excellent  system  of  free  schools 
in  New  England,  aided  by  strong  native  talent  and  applica 
tion,  Ira  had  acquired  the  rudiments  of  an  English  education, 
and  was  well  grounded  in  the  principles  of  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic,  and  geography.  He  early  manifested  a  disposition 
to  adopt  a  seafaring  life,  and,  on  the  death  of  his  mother, 
wended  his  way  to  Boston,  and,  after  several  fruitless  appli 
cations,  succeeded  in  obtaining  a  place  on  board  the  ship  Rosa- 
monda,  bound  to  the  Xorth-west  coast. 

"  Ira  Morrison,  by  his  kind  disposition,  his  amiable  feel 
ings,  his  attention  to  his  duties,  and  his  trust-worthiness, 
gained  the  good  will  of  his  officers  and  his  shipmates.  He 
liked  the  occupation  which  he  had  chosen  for  a  livelihood,  and 
determined  to  reach  the  topmost  round  of  the  ladder.  At  his 
leisure  hours,  he  applied  himself  to  the  improvement  of  his 
mind,  and  soon  found  that  here,  as  in  other  matters  where  a 
strong  inclination  exists,  the  work  is  more  than  half  accom 
plished.  In  due  time,  he  became  a  proficient  in  seamanship 
and  navigation.  In  a  few  years  he  was  promoted  to  the  situ 
ation  of  second  mate  of  a  ship,  and,  ere  he  reached  the  twenty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age,  Ira  Morrison  was  in  command  of  a  fine 
vessel,  engaged  in  the  East  India  trade. 

"  Success  now  seemed  to  accompany  Captain  Morrison's 
undertakings,  as  if  to  compensate  him  for  his  sufferings  in 
childhood.  By  economy,  by  a  judicious  management  of  his 
9* 


102  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

private  affairs,  he  soon  acquired  a  little  property,  which  was 
constantly  increasing.  While  tarrying  on  shore  at  one  time, 
longer  than  usual,  he  met,  at  the  house  of  a  friend  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Boston,  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  girl, 
named  Helen  Ogilvy,  with  whose  appearance  and  manners  he 
was  captivated.  He  then  felt,  with  all  the  force  of  truth, 
what  a  dreary  imagination  had  often  shadowed  forth,  that 
man  should  not  live  for  himself  alone,  and  that  matrimony 
was  essential  to  happiness  in  civilized  society. 

"  With  the  characteristic  ardor  and  promptness  of  a  sailor, 
Morrison  urged  his  suit.  It  was  successful,  and,  on  his 
return  from  a  succeeding  voyage,  he  claimed  Helen's  promise 
to  unite  her  fortunes  with  his  for  life.  The  holy  ceremony 
which  crowned  his  wishes  was  performed  ;  and,  as  they  stood 
together,  the  smiling  bridegroom  and  the  lovely  bride,  before 
the  nuptial  shrine,  futurity  seemed  a  pathway  through  a 
flowery  field,  studded  with  enjoyments ;  and,  surely,  the  ven 
erable  clergyman,  who  performed  the  ceremony,  never  called 
down  the  blessings  of  Heaven  on  a  more  deserving  couple  than 
Ira  Morrison  and  Helen  Ogilvy. 

"  Some  years  passed  by,  and  their  happiness  increased 
rather  than  diminished.  Captain  Morrison  purchased  a  neat 
dwelling-house,  pleasantly  situated  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Boston,  and  two  lovely  daughters  formed  additional  ties  to 
unite  their  hearts  in  the  holy  bond  of  affection.  There  was 
only  one  drawback  to  their  happiness.  Captain  Morrison's 
occupation  compelled  him  to  be  absent  a  considerable  portion 
of  time  from  his  family,  from  his  kojne,  around  which  clustered 
a  thousand  delightful  associations.  But  he  looked  forward 
with  eagerness  to  the  time,  which  he  hoped  was  not  distant, 
when,  possessed  of  a  competence,  he  might  bid  adieu  to  the 
seas  for  evermore,  and  pass  the  rest  of  his  days  in  the 
midst  of  those  whom  he  loved  with  an  ardent  and  enduring 
affection. 


THE   WIDOW   MORRISON.  103 

"  About  fifteen  years  ago,  Captain  Morrison  embarked  on 
what  he  intended  should  be  his  last  voyage.  He  hoped,  if 
fortune  should  prove  propitious,  to  realize  a  sum  which,  added 
to  his  previously  acquired  property,  would  be  sufficient  to 
warrant  his  quitting  a  seafaring  life,  and  enable  him  to  settle 
down  quietly  and  permanently  in  the  bosom  of  domestic  hap 
piness.  He  had,  in  company  with  his  wife,  once  visited  this 
little  village  of  Lausanne,  where  Helen  formerly  had  some 
relations,  and  they  were  both  much  pleased  with  its  romantic 
situation,  and  the  beautiful  scenery  in  its  vicinity.  A  cottage 
in  a  lonely  glen  attracted  their  especial  attention ;  and,  indulg 
ing  a  dream  of  romance,  they  declared  that,  when,  favored  by 
fortune,  they  should  be  able  to  seek  out  a  permanent  resting- 
place,  they  would  retire  from  the  busy  scenes  of  life,  and  — 
a  world  to  each  other  —  establish  themselves  in  this  neigh 
borhood,  breathe  a  rural  atmosphere,  and  engage  in  rural 
pursuits. 

"  Morrison  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  his  wife  and  chil 
dren  ;  but  Helen,  as  if  she  felt  a  presentiment  of  misfortune, 
could  not  conceal  her  tears  at  parting.  She  wept  upon  the 
neck  of  her  husband,  and  earnestly  commended  him  to  the 
protection  of  the  Almighty. 

"  He  left  Boston  in  the  good  ship  Astolpho,  bound  on  a 
voyage  to  Canton,  and  directly  back  to  the'  United  States. 
In  due  time,  Helen  received  letters  from  her  husband,  con 
taining  the  grateful  information  of  his  safe  arrival  at  his 
destined  port,  and  a  prospect  of  a  successful  voyage ;  and 
devoutly  did  she  pour  out  her  thanks  to  the  Almighty,  for 
extending  his  protection  to  her  husband  when  exposed  to  the 
dangers  of  the  ocean.  Subsequent  letters  informed  her  of  the 
progress  of  his  business,  and  at  length  she  received  one  con 
taining  the  glad  news  that  he  had  completed  his  business  in 
Canton,  and  expected  to  sail  for  Boston  in  a  few  days.  In 
this  letter  he  expressed  the  utmost  impatience  to  re-visit  his 


104  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

home ;  complained  of  the  dull,  monotonous  life  of  a  sailor, 
estranged  from  society  for  months,  ay,  years,  at  a  time,  and 
deprived  of  those  pleasures  which  give  a  zest  to  life.  And, 
as  if  he  more  fully  realized  the  perils  which  beset  the  life  of 
a  sailor  than  was  wont  with  him,  he  introduced  into  his  letter 
a  schedule  of  his  property,  with  directions  to  his  wife  how  to 
proceed,  should  he  never  succeed  in  reaching  his  home.  Helen 
wept  as  she  read  this  letter,  —  it  seemed  ominous  of  evil,  — 
and  anxiously  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  his  return 
might  reasonably  be  expected. 

"  A  week  passed  by,  and  the  Astolpho  had  not  arrived. 
Another,  and  then  another  week,  and  not  a  word  was  heard 
from  her  husband.  Her  anxiety  may  be  imagined;  and 
hour  after  hour  she  watched  for  intelligence  which  should 
bring  solace  to  her  heart.  At  length  the  ship  Griffin  arrived 
from  Canton,  bringing  information  that  Captain  "Morrison  had 
sailed  from  that  port  about  three  weeks  before  the  Griffin, 
and,  also,  that  a  vessel  had  arrived  at  Canton  just  before  the 
Griffin  sailed,  which  had  experienced  a  terrible  typhoon,  or 
hurricane,  in  the  China  seas,  and  that  apprehensions  were 
there  excited  for  the  safety  of  the  Astolpho. 

"  This  was  sad  news  for  Mrs.  Morrison.  Her  worst  fears 
seemed  about  to  be  realized.  She  would  press  her  children 
to  her  bosorn,  and  talk  to  them  of  their  father,  whose  safe 
return  she  hardly  dared  to  expect.  Indeed,  after  the  lapse 
of  some  months,  and  not  a  word  was  heard  from  the  Astolpho, 
it  was  generally  believed  that  the  ship  had  foundered  in  the 
China  seas,  in  the  hurricane,  and  that  all  on  board  perished. 
But  hope  at  times  would  still  whisper  a  flattering  tale  ;  it  was 
possible  that  the  ship  might  have  received  damage,  and  put 
into  some  port  to  repair.  After  a  year  had  elapsed,  however, 
and  intelligence  had  been  received  from  every  port  where  Cap 
tain  Morrison  would  probably  have  sought  an  asylum,  there 
could  be  no  longer  any  doubt  of  his  fate.  Helen  clad  herself 


THE   WIDOW    MORRISON.  105 

in  mourning  for  the  loss  of  her  husband  :  and  her  children, 
also,  wore  the  garb  of  sorrow  for  the  death  of  their  father. 

"  Mrs.  Morrison  now  proceeded  to  settle  the  estate  of  her 
late  husband,  and,  in  consequence  of  his  methodical  habits  in 
the  arrangements  of  his  business,  it  proved  to  be  no  difficult 
task.  She  found  herself  in  possession  of  a  respectable  prop 
erty,  a  portion  of  which,  agreeably  to  the  advice  of  a  friend, 
she  invested  in  stocks  of  undoubted  credit,  which  yielded  her 
a  moderate  annual  income.  With  the  remainder  she  pur 
chased  Woodbine  Cottage,  in  the  Fairy  Glen,  —  the  lovely 
and  retired  spot  which  had  so  charmed  her  husband  and  her 
self  in  happier  days,  —  and,  bidding  farewell  to  the  busy 
world,  removed  thither  with  her  two  daughters,  a  mourning, 
and  almost  broken-hearted,  widow. 

"  And  here  she  resided,  devoting  herself  to  the  education 
of  her  children,  and  courting  tranquillity  and  retirement. 
Time,  which  brings  a  panacea  for  many  ills,  assuaged  the 
bitterness  of  her  grief,  but  years  elapsed  before  the  weight  of 
sorrow  could  be  removed  from  her  bosom,  for  her  thoughts 
would  be  often  with  the  husband  of  her  youth,  and  she  fre 
quently  indulged  in  melancholy  conjectures  respecting  his 
fate.  She  thought  that  if  she  knew  all  the  circumstances 
attending  his  death  she  should  feel  less  unhappy ;  for  the 
mystery  which  shrouded  the  loss  of  the  ship  seemed  more 
terrible  than  even  the  most  thrilling  details  could  possibly  be. 

"  Sometimes  her  imagination  pictured  him  in  the  midst  of 
the  furious  conflict  of  elements,  with  death  staring  him  in  the 
face,  seeking  to  console  his  companions  in  misfortune  by  his 
words  and  his  example,  or  calling  down  blessings  on  the 
heads  of  his  wife  and  children.  Sometimes  she  saw  him  on  a 
plank,  tossed  about  on  the  wild  seas,  and  vainly  struggling 
for  life ;  or  in  a  boat  on  the  broad  ocean,  looking  with  strain 
ing  eyes  around  the  distant  horizon  for  succor,  but  in  vain, 
and  slowly  perishing,  a  prey  to  the  pangs  of  starvation. 


106  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

Again  she  saw  the  ship  forced  by  the  tempest  on  some  rock- 
bound  coast ;  she  heard  the  roaring  of  the  breakers  as  they 
dashed  against  the  shore,  and  she  felt  the  shock  as  the  gallant 
ship,  urged  by  a  resistless  force,  struck  upon  a  ledge ;  she 
heard  the  screams  of  the  hapless  mariners,  and  their  imploring 
prayers  for  mercy  to  their  God,  and  beheld  the  mangled  corpse 
of  her  husband  thrown  upon  the  rocks  ! 

"  The  widow  Morrison  was  beloved  by  the  people  of  Lau 
sanne.  She  was  ever  kind,  benevolent  and  hospitable.  She 
took  a  deep  interest  in  the  happiness  of  others,  and  in  this 
way  succeeded  to  a  very  considerable  extent  in  alleviating  her 
own  sorrows.  Blessed  with  a  mind  richly  stored  with  knowl 
edge,  great  purity  of  character,  and  a  refined  taste,  she  not 
only  succeeded  admirably  in  carrying  into  effect  her  design 
of  educating  her  daughters,  but  she  seemed  to  infuse  a  new 
spirit,  a  thirst  for  improvement,  into  the  minds  of  her  neigh 
bors  ;  and  in  a  few  years,  strangers  visiting  Lausanne,  were 
surprised  and  pleased  at  beholding  in  this  hamlet,  even  in  the 
humblest  abodes,  the  little  improvements  and  comforts,  pleas 
ing  to  the  eye  and  tranquillizing  to  the  mind,  which  have  their 
source  in  a  perception  of  the  beautiful,  and  contribute  much 
to  the  happiness  of  civilized  society. 

"  She  had  more  than  once  been  urged,  under  circumstances 
which,  in  a  worldly  point  of  view,  were  highly  favorable,  to 
change  her  condition,  and  again  embrace  a  married  life ;  but 
she  always  discouraged,  in  the  most  prompt  and  decided  man 
ner,  any  advances  of  that  description.  Years  thus  glided 
peaceably  by.  Her  daughters  were  beautiful,  virtuous  and 
accomplished,  and  promised  to  equal  all  their  mother's  hopes ; 
and  the  widow  Morrison  herself,  although  sometimes  a  prey 
to  sad  reminiscences,  appeared  to  enjoy  a  larger  portion  of 
that  rational  kind  of  happiness  founded  on  a  contented  mind, 
than  falls  to  the  share  of  most  mortals.  If  a  pensive  shadow 
darkened  her  brow  as  she  gazed  upon  the  portrait  of  her  hus- 


THE    WIDOW    MORRISON.  107 

band,  and  indulged  in  the  remembrance  of  former  sorrows,  it 
was  soon  dissipated  by  the  cheerful  smiles  of  her  daughters ; 
but  when  the  tempest  raged  and  the  boisterous  north  wind 
swept  down  the  valley,  she  "listened  to  the  wild  and  unearthly 
music,  as  if  it  were  a  requiem  of  the  departed  spirit  of  her 
husband. 

"  One  memorable  evening,  it  was  the  21st  of  October,  the 
widow's  family  were  gathered  pleasantly  around  the  fireside, 
during  the  raging  of  a  fierce  easterly  storm.  The  widow  was 
seated  at  the  table,  reading  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  her 
daughters  were  engaged  in  plying  the  needle  with  unceasing 
assiduity.  A  venerable  Angola  cat,  in  one  corner,  by  her 
loud  purring,  was  expressing  her  satisfaction  at  having  se 
cured  such  good  quarters,  while  a  spaniel,  with  benignant 
features,  had  taken  possession  of  the  other.  The  fire  burned 
brightly,  and  comfort  reigned  within,  while  the  cold  wind 
howled  mournfully  without,  and  the  rain  pattered  against 
the  casements.  A  fearful  gust  swept  down  the  valley,  and 
shook  the  building ;  the  widow  closed  the  book  with  a  shud 
der,  and  raised  her  eyes  to  the  portrait  of  her  long-lamented 
husband,  which  was  suspended  over  the  mantel-piece. 

"  '  It  is  exactly  thirteen  years  this  day,'  said  Mrs.  Morri 
son,  addressing  her  daughters,  '  since  your  father  left  his  home 
for  the  last  time.  And,  as  he  bade  me  farewell,  something 
whispered  to  my  heart  that  he  would  never  return ;  and  too 
truly  were  my  sad  apprehensions  realized.  0,  perhaps  it  was 
in  such  a  dreadful  storm  as  this  that  he  perished  on  the  dis 
tant  seas  !  The  winds  blew  and  the  waves  raged ;  he  was 
exposed  to  all  the  terrors  of  the  storm,  from  whose  fury  no 
human  force  could  screen  him,  and  died  a  dreadful  death,  far 
from  those  he  loved.  Bella,  my  love,  sing  that  little  plaintive 
air  which  I  taught  you  years  ago,  if  you  still  remember  it. 
It  is  suited  to  my  present  feelings,  and  may  well  be  sung  by 
a  sailor's  daughter.'  The  beautiful  girl  arose  and  took  her 


108  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

guitar.     With  a  fine  voice,  although  tremulous  with  emotion, 
she  sung  the  following  song  : 


THE    FATED    MARINERS. 

'  The  stately  ship  glides  o'er  the  deep, 

With  treasure  richly  freighted  ; 
'T  is  sweet  to  view  her  gallant  crew, 

Their  hearts  with  hope  elated. 
The  stars  shine  bright  this  lovely  night, 

The  waves  have  ceased  their  motion  ; 
The  gentle  breeze  sweeps  o'er  the  seas  — 

There  's  beauty  on  the  ocean. 

*  But  see  how  soon  the  rising  moon 

Behind  a  cloud  is  stealing  ;  — 
The  furious  blast  flies  wildly  past, 

With  loud  and  fitful  wailing. 
The  mighty  deep,  aroused  from  sleep, 

Appears  in  fierce  commotion, 
While  o'er  these  scenes  the  storm-king  reigns  — 

There  's  terror  on  the  ocean. 

'  'T  is  drear  and  dark,  while  o'er  the  bark 

The  thunder  loudly  crashes  ; 
The  sea-birds  scream  —  the  lightnings  gleam  — 

Yet  on  she  madly  dashes  ! 
Her  fated  crew,  with  death  in  view, 

Now  kneel  in  sad  devotion  ; 
Beneath  the  waves  they  find  their  graves  !  — 

There  's  death  upon  the  ocean.' 

"  Bella  had  hardly  ceased  her  song,  and  the  widow  was 
indulging  in  all  the  luxury  of  grief,  when  a  loud  knocking 
was  heard  at  the  door ;  which  was  opened  by  the  youngest 
daughter,  and  a  person  inquired,  in  a  low,  but  strange  voice, 
'  Does  Mrs.  Morrison  live  here  ? ' 

"  '  Yes,'  replied  Louisa  ;  '  please  to  come  in.' 
"  The  stranger  entered  the  parlor,  and  the  inmates  were 
startled  at  his  uncouth,  unfavorable  appearance. 


THE    WIDOW    MORRISON.  109 

" '  Don't  be  alarmed,'  said  he,  in  a  broken  voice,  as  if 
laboring  under  strong  emotion  ;  '  I  shall  do  you  no  injury  ;  I 
am  a  poor,  unfortunate  man !  a  sailor,  destitute  of  friends  or 
money,  and  I  solicit  shelter  for  the  night  from  the  raging  of 
the  tempest.' 

"And  some  assurance  of  his  pacific  intentions  seemed  neces 
sary,  for  neither  his  costume  nor  his  countenance  was  calcu 
lated  to  impress  one  in  his  favor.  He  was  a  tall,  athletic 
man,  clad  in  a  seaman's  jacket  and  trousers,  and  his  garments, 
like  himself,  had  evidently  seen  better  days,  and  were  but  a 
slender  protection  against  the  wind  and  the  rain.  His  feat 
ures  were  bold  and  regular,  but  over  his  brow  was  an  unseem 
ly  scar,  an  evidence  of  his  having  been  engaged  in  bloody 
strife.  His  cheeks  were  seamed  with  longitudinal  scars, 
which  appeared  to  have  been  stamped  there  by  the  hand  of 
art,  and  gave  to  his  countenance  a  singularly  wild  and  fero 
cious  expression.  Exposure  to  the  tropical  sun.  and  to  the 
inclement  weather,  had  cast  a  swarthy  shade  over  his  features, 
which  were  emaciated  by  suffering  or  disease. 

"  The  widow  Morrison  gazed  upon  the  strange  figure  for  a 
moment,  and  the  apprehensions  which  his  first  appearance  had 
excited  gave  way  to  an  emotion  of  pity,  as  she  saw  that  he 
was  indeed  a  stranger,  a  seafaring  man,  too,  and  in  distress. 
She  offered  him  a  seat  by  the  fire,  rebuked  Fido  for  uttering 
an  inhospitable  growl,  urged  the  way-worn  traveller  to  make 
himself  comfortable  and  at  home,  and  directed  her  daughters 
to  prepare  him  some  refreshment. 

" « You  seem  to  have  travelled  a  long  way,'  said  she. 

"  '  Yes,'  replied  the  stranger,  '  I  left  Boston  this  morning.' 

"  '  Indeed  ! '  exclaimed  Mrs.  Morrison  ;  '  in  the  midst  of 
such  a  severe,,  storm,  too  !  Your  business  must  have  been 
urgent.  Have  you  lately  arrived  from  sea  ? ' 

"  '  Only  a  few  days  since,'  was  the  reply.    '  I  was  last  from 
the  East  Indies,  where  I  have  lived  for  many  years.' 
10 


110  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

" '  From  the  East  Indies !  And  you  have  ruined  your 
health,  and  braved  all  the  perils  of  the  sea,  evidently  for  a 
poor  compensation,'  continued  Mrs.  Morrison,  a  tear  glisten 
ing  in  her  eye.  { My  husband  was  also  a  sailor ;  —  he  sailed 
to  the  East  Indies,  and  there  —  he  perished,  many  years 
ago ! ' 

"  '  Are  you  certain  he  perished  ? '  inquired  the  sailor,  in  a 
low,  but  distinct  voice. 

"  '  No,  not  certain,  for  I  never  heard  the  exact  manner  of 
his  death.  He  bailed  from  Canton  for  Boston,  and  has  never 
been  heard  of  since.  The  ship  was  old,  and  doubtless  was  lost 
in  a  hurricane  which  swept  over  the  China  seas  soon  after  he 
left  port.' 

'"Perhaps  he  was  cast  away  upon  some  island  inhabited  by 
savages,  and  was  not  allowed  to  depart.  Perhaps  he  may  be 
still  living  in  some  distant  land,  a  prey  to  sorrow,  with  all  his 
hopes  and  thoughts  centred  upon  his  home.' 

'"0,  bless  you  !  — bless  you  for  those  words  ! '  cried  the 
widow,  rising  from  her  seat  and  seizing  him  by  the  hand. 
'  Bella !  Louisa !  this  stranger  has  recently  arrived  from  the 
East  Indies,  and  he  says  that  it  is  possible  your  father  is  still 
living.' 

"  The  girls  came  to  the  side  of  their  mother,  and  gazed  with 
much  interest  and  curiosity  on  the  sailor ;  but  incredulity  was 
legibly  written  on  their  features. 

" '  If  he  should  be  still  living,'  resumed  the  stranger,  '  al 
though  broken  down  with  sorrow  and  suffering,  poor,  friend 
less,  infirm,  crippled  and  prematurely  aged;  if  he  should, 
through  the  kindness  of  Providence,  after  the  lapse  of  so  many 
years,  again  reach  his  native  land,  would  you  welcome  your 
husband  with  a  smile  of  gladness  ?  ' 

"  '  Would  I  ?  —  God  knows  my  heart.  It  would  be  the 
happiest  moment  of  my  life.  But  0,  it  is  cruel  to  conjure 
up  visions  of  happiness  that  can  never  be  realized  !  I  have 


THE    WIDOW   MORRISON. 


Ill 


long  since  relinquished  all  hope  of  ever  meeting  my  husband 
again  on  this  side  the  grave.  Only  a  few  years,  and  I  shall 
be  with  him.' 

"  Mrs.  Morrison  was  much  moved  by  her  conversation  with 
this  weather-beaten  mariner,  and  did  not  attempt  to  restrain 
her  tears.  When  she  again  looked  upon  him,  she  met  his 
eyes  fixed  upon  her  with  a  look  expressing  joy,  tenderness  and 


affection.  For  a  moment  she  seemed  bewildered,  when  a  well- 
known  voice  uttered  the  single  word,  «  HELEN  ! '  The  truth 
flashed  upon  her  like  an  electric  shock,  and  she  fainted  on  the 
bosom  of  her  husband  ! 

"  It  was  thus  that  Ira  Morrison  returned  to  his  native  land, 
to  his  wife  and  his  children,  after  an  absence  of  many  years 
in  foreign  climes. 


112  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

"  The  narrative  of  his  adventures  is  soon  told.  The  Astol- 
pho  encountered  the  dreadful  hurricane,  a  few  days  after 
she  left  Canton,  was  driven  on  the  coast  of  Borneo,  and 
wrecked  on  the  north  part  of  that  island.  Captain  Morrison 
and  two  of  the  crew  succeeded  in  reaching  the  shore,  and 
were  seized  by  the  fierce  and  inhospitable  natives,  and  sub 
jected  to  the  most  cruel  treatment.  His  two  companions 
sank  under  their  afflictions,  but  he  found  means  of  making 
himself  serviceable,  and,  after  a  time,  was  treated  with  favor. 
He  underwent  the  process  of  tattooing,  was  adopted  into  the 
tribe,  and  distinguished  himself  in  several  obstinate  engage 
ments  with  a  neighboring  tribe  of  savages,  with  whom  they 
were  at  war. 

"  Captain  Morrison  anxiously  awaited  an  opportunity  to 
escape,  and  return  to  his  home.  But  that  part  of  the  coast 
of  Borneo  was  not  frequented  by  the  vessels  of  civilized 
nations,  and  it  was  seldom  that  a  ship  by  accident  came  near 
enough  to  be  seen  from  the  shore,  and  at  such  times  he  was 
carefully  watched.  One  morning,  however,  a  ship  was  seen 
within  a  few  miles  of  the  coast,  and,  the  wind  dying  away, 
the  vessel  was  unable  to  get  far  from  the  land  during  the  day, 
and  was  in  sight  at  twilight,  not  more  than  seven  or  eight 
miles  off.  This  was  an  opportunity  not  to  be  lost,  and  he 
resolved  to  make  a  desperate  attempt  to  escape. 

"  In  the  early  part  of  the  night  he  armed  himself,  left  his 
hut,  and  proceeded  to  the  beach.  He  saw  that  he  was 
watched,  and  followed  by  one  of  the  natives,  who  was  ready 
to  give  the  alarm,  as  soon  as  he  was  certain  that  their  adopted 
brother  intended  to  give  them  the  slip.  Morrison  turned 
upon  him  suddenly,  when  he  reached  the  beach,  and  struck 
him  to  the  earth  with  his  war-club,  then  seized  one  of  the 
canoes,  launched  it  upon  the  waters,  and,  in  a  few  minutes, 
might  be  seen  paddling  off  at  a  rapid  rate  in  the  direction  of 
the  ship. 


THE    WIDOW    MORRISON.  113 

"  He  knew  that  he  should  soon  be  missed,  that  the  alarm 
would  be  given,  and  that  the  sea  would  immediately  be 
covered  with  their  canoes,  seeking  for  him  in  every  direction, 
and  he  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  to  gain  a  good  offing 
before  his  escape  should  be  discovered,  and,  being  possessed 
of  superior  physical  powers,  and  stimulated  by  a  wish  to  pre 
serve  his  life  and  gain  his  freedom,  he  succeeded  in  rapidly 
increasing  the  distance  between  himself  and  his  pursuers. 
After  exerting  all  his  strength  and  skill,  for  an  hour,  guided 
by  a  bright  and  particular  star,  he  relaxed  somewhat  in  his 
exertions,  and  cautiously  looked  around  the  horizon  as  he 
advanced.  It  was  not  long  before  he  saw  a  dark  object  in  the 
distance,  which  he  knew  was  the  ship  of  which  he  was  in 
quest.  His  heart  beat  quicker  as  he  drew  towards  her,  and, 
without  reflecting  on  the  effect  which  his  strange  and  sudden 
appearance  would  produce  on  the  minds  of  the  crew,  he  pad 
dled  alongside,  and,  seizing  a  rope,  lightly  ascended  the  side, 
sprang  over  the  gunwale,  and,  in  a  few  seconds,  was  standing 
on  her  deck. 

"This  ship  proved  to  be  the  Laughing  Belle,  of  Providence, 
in  the  United  States,  from  Manilla,  bound  to  London ;  and 
the  consternation  of  the  officer,  who  was  lazily  walking  the 
quarter-deck,  casting  a  sleepy  look  occasionally  towards  the 
sails,  as  they  napped  heavily  against  the  mast,  may  be 
imagined  at  seeing  a  half-naked  savage  spring  suddenly  on 
board.  He  screamed  out  lustily,  '  Savages !  savages !  The 
enemy  is  upon  us ! '  and  at  the  same  time  seized  a  boarding- 
pike,  which  was  standing  against  the  capstan,  and  made  a 
ferocious  thrust  at  poor  Morrison,  who  appeared  to  have  only 
escaped  the  jaws  of  the  tiger  to  fall  into  those  of  the  lion  ; 
and  then  rushed  aft  to  the  companion-way,  screaming  at  the 
top  of  his  lungs,  '  Captain  Watson  !  Captain  Watson !  the 
Indians  —  the  bloody-minded  Malays  —  have  boarded  us  on 
10* 


r 


•*. 
114  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

the  starboard  gangway,  and  are  coming  on  board  by  hun 
dreds  ! ' 

"All  was  tumult  and  confusion.  The  watch  on  deck 
seized  their  cutlasses  and  boarding-pikes,  the  men  tumbled  up 
from  the  forecastle,  ready  for  a  serious  tussle.  Captain  Wat 
son  leaped  from  his  berth,  and  dashed  up  the  companion-way 
with  a  pistol  in  one  hand,  and  brandishing  a  cutlass  in  the 
other.  *  Where  are  the  rascals  ? '  shouted  he.  '  Cut  them 
down  !  Skewer  them  with  your  boarding-pikes  !  Throw  them 
overboard,  every  mother's  son  ! ' 

"  Still  no  enemy  was  to  be  seen,  and  no  signs  of  any  one, 
excepting  a  canoe  floating  lightly  on  the  surface  of  the  water, 
a  short  distance  off.  But  a  groan  was  heard  in  the  waist, 
and,  on  investigation,  Morrison  was  found  lying  in  the  lee 
scuppers.  The  thrust  from  the  boarding-pike  of  the  second 
mate  had  taken  effect  in  his  shoulder,  inflicted  a  severe 
wound,  and  stretched  him  fainting  on  the  deck.  The  unfor 
tunate  man  was  carried  aft,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  he  was 
able  to  tell  them  who  he  was,  and  to  claim  their  protection. 

"  At  daybreak,  several  war-canoes  and  proas  full  of  sav 
ages  were  seen  coining  towards  the  ship,  but  the  long  wished 
for  breeze  springing  up  at  that  time,  they  were  soon  left 
astern,  and  the  Laughing  Belle  proceeded  on  her  way  with 
Morrison  on  board,  whose  wound  proved  to  be  a  severe  one, 
indeed,  and,  for  a  time,  his  recovery  was  doubtful.  Before 
the  ship  reached  the  English  channel,  the  wound  was  healed, 
but  his  arm  hung  uselessly  by  his  side,  —  he  was  maimed  for 
life. 

"  Nor  did  his  misfortunes  end  here  ;  the  ship  was  cast  away 
in  the  channel,  having  run  on  to  Beachy  Head  in  thick  and  tem 
pestuous  weather.  The  vessel  went  to  pieces,  and  the  crew 
were  glad  enough  to  get  ashore  alive,  but  lost  all  their  clothes 
and  baggage.  Morrison  was  thrown  upon  the  hands  of  the 
American  consul  at  London,  who  sent  him  to  his  native 


* 

THE   WIDOW   MORRISON.  115 

country  in  a  vessel  bound  to  New  York,  where,  in  due  time, 
he  arrived,  and  landed  in  a  destitute  condition,  indeed,  with 
out  money,  clothing  or  friends ;  and  his  seamed  and  tattooed 
visage,  and  dark  brown  complexion,  were  not  calculated  to 
impress  strangers  favorably  in  his  behalf.  After  several  vain 
applications,  he  succeeded  in  persuading  the  master  of  a 
coasting  schooner  to  give  him  a  passage  to  Boston,  where  he 
found  himself  still  a  stranger.  New  faces  met  him  at  every 
turn ;  and  his  old  friends  and  employers,  from  whom  he  hoped  to 
receive  aid  or  information,  were  no  longer  to  be  found.  Some 
had  died,  some  had  removed  from  the  city,  and  some  had  lost 
all  their  property,  and  were  almost  as  poor  as  himself.  He 
inquired  for  his  wife,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  accident 
ally  met  a  person  who  still  resided  in  the  neighborhood  of  his 
former  residence,  and  was  able  to  tell  him  that  Mrs.  Morrison, 
after  the  death  of  her  husband,  had  removed,  many  years 
before,  to  the  village  of  Lausanne.  But  whether  she  still  re 
sided  there,  or,  indeed,  whether  she  was  still  in  the  land  of 
the  living,  was  altogether  unknown  to  him. 

"  Morrison,  however,  determined  to  proceed  without  delay  to 
the  village  of  Lausanne,  where  he  hoped  to  obtain  some  in 
formation  respecting  his  wife  and  his  children.  He  left 
Boston  in  the  morning,  in  the  midst  of  a  furious  north-east 
storm,  and  the  shades  of  evening  had  spread  a  gloom  around, 
before  he  reached  the  '  Double-headed  Swan,'  a  tuvern 
located  in  the  centre  of  the  village.  Here,  with  an  anxious 
heart,  he  inquired  for  widow  Morrison,  and  received  the 
proper  direction  to  her  residence. 

"  And  thus  the  wanderer  returned  to  his  native  land.  He 
returned  maimed  and  disfigured,  with  a  broken  constitution, 
and  almost  worn  out  with  pain  and  suffering.  But,  more 
fortunate  than  some  poor,  long-absent  mariners,  he  found 
in  his  native  land  a  home,  —  a  kind  and  happy  home,  —  a 
wife,  ever  true,  faithful  and  devoted,  who  cherished  hi*  re- 


116 


SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 


membrance  with  the  fondest  affection,  and  who  continued  to 
love  him  for  « auld  lang  syne,'  and  for  the  sufferings  he  had 
endured,  and  the  eventful  scenes  through  which  he  had  passed, 
—  and  children,  too,  who  had  ever  been  taught  to  revere  his 
memory,  and  regard  him  as  a  father.  And  there,  in  that 
happy  home,  his  wanderings  have  ended ;  he  finds  in  domes 
tic  enjoyments,  and  the  blessings  of  competence,  a  genial  ray 
of  happiness,  to  illuminate  the  closing  years  of  a  life  whose 
meridian  was  gloomy  and  tempestuous." 


JERRY    MARLINSPIKE'S    RIDE. 

"  Give  a  ship  cable  enough,  and  she  will  be  sure  to  bring  up  at  last!  " 

SAILOR'S  PROVERB. 

THE  clumsy  old  ship  Atalanta,  which  deserved  to  be  as  cele 
brated  for  her  dull  rate  of  sailing,  as  her  beautiful  namesake 
was  for  her  symmetrical  proportions  and  swiftness  in  the  race, 
was,  one  afternoon,  poking  along  on  her  way  from  Havana  for 
Cowes  and  a  market,  with  a  heavy  cargo  of  sugar  and  coffee 
on  board.  The  wind  blew  hard  from  the  south-east,  and, 
being  about  abeam,  the  yards  were  rounded  in  a  little,  and 
the  sheets  were  flowing.  The  topsails  were  double-reefed ;  but 
there  was  no  great  sea  on,  and  the  old  ship  made  more  fuss  in 
going  five  or  six  knots,  than  other  vessels  would  in  going  ten 
or  eleven.  On  looking  over  the  bows,  and  listening  to  the 
noise  she  made,  and  seeing  the  tremendous  big  white  bone 
which  she  carried  in  her  mouth,  you  would  think  she  was 
going  a  dozen  at  least. 

A  sailor  dislikes  a  dull-sailing  vessel.  A  leaky  ship,  a 
brutal  commander,  decayed  provisions,  short  allowance  of 
water,  poor  sails  and  rigging,  &c.,  &c.,  are  bad  enough  in  all 
conscience,  but  a  dull-sailing  vessel  is  the  worst  of  all.  Jack 
can  easily  forgive  many  bad  qualities  in  his  ship,  and  even 
put  up  with  bad  usage  with  a  tolerable  grace,  if  the  vessel 
in  which  his  fortunes  are  embarked,  sails  fast.  In  his  view, 
a  clear  run,  like  charity,  covers  a  multitude  of  sins,  while  a 
dull-sailing  vessel,  although  extremely  comfortable  in  other 
respects,  is  his  utter  aversion. 


118  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

On  the  afternoon  in  question,  the  starboard  watch  of  the 
Atalanta  were  snugly  coiled  away  under  the  weather  bul 
warks,  amid-ships,  busily  employed  in  knotting  rope-yarns, 
while  Mr.  Hopkins,  the  second  officer,  was  walking  the  quar 
ter-deck  and  watching  the  weather,  which  looked  rather 
greasy  to  windward.  The  captain  was  quietly  taking  an  ob 
servation  below  in  his  state-room. 

The  watch  were  grumbling  about  the  slow  progress  they 
made,  and  calculating  that,  if  the  wind  held  fair,  in  about 
sixty  days  longer  the  Atalanta  might  arrive  in  the  English  Chan 
nel.  She  had  already  been  out  thirty-five  days.  The  whole 
crew  seemed  exceedingly  impatient  and  cross,  and  grumbled 
away  in  the  most  approved  manner,  excepting  one.  little  queer- 
looking  fellow,  whom  they  used  to  call  Jerry  Marlinspike, 
on  account  of  his  sharp  and  peaked  visage.  He  was  about 
four  feet  eleven  inches  in  height,  thick-set,  and  spry  as  a  cat 
aloft.  His  eyes  looked  in  half  a  dozen  directions,  apparently, 
at  the  same  time  ;  his  mouth  was  twisted,  as  if  he  had  been  the 
victim  of  a  paralytic  shock ;  his  face  was  seamed  with  several 
scars,  and  his  nose  stood  all  askew,  as  if  it  had  been  knocked 
off,  and  afterwards  a  part  of  it  stuck  on  with  a  piece  of  putty, 
but  in  the  wrong  place.  Indeed,  his  whole  visage  spoke,  as 
plainly  as  a  face  could  speak,  of  horrible  encounters,  of  com 
bats  dire,  by  flood  or  field,  either  with  animate  or  inanimate 
objects. 

Jerry  listened  for  some  time  with  a  grim  smile  to  the  re 
marks  of  his  shipmates.  At  length,  after  turning  over  his 
huge  quid  two  or  three  times,  and  making  some  attempts  to 
pucker  up  his  mouth  in  such  a  sort  as  to  convey  articulate 
sounds  to  the  ears  of  the  listeners,  he  addressed  his  watch- 
mates  in  a  croaking,  bull-frog  kind  of  voice,  something  a/ter 
the  following  fashion : 

"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  shipmates,  the  old  barky  goes  along 
fast  enough.  She 's  a  good,  comfortable  craft,  and  we  are 


JERRY  MARLINSPIKE'S  RIDE.  119 

treated  as  well  on  board  of  her  as  we  deserve,  that  you  '11  all 
allow ;  and  the  more  months  the  more  dollars,  you  know.  I 
expect  to  go  to  sea  all  my  life,  or,  until  my  timbers  become 
so  case-hardened  that  I  can't  go  aloft ;  and  I  find  myself  so 
well  off,  with  a  good  ship  under  my  foot,  good  provisions,  and 
plenty  of  them,  kind  officers,  and  a  clever  set  of  fellows  for  a 
crew,  that  I  shan't  trouble  myself  about  the  end  of  the  pas 
sage,  until  it  begins  to  grow  shoal  water  in  the  harness-cask, 
or  the  bread-room  becomes  empty.  It  will  be  time  enough  to 
grumble  then  about  long  passages,  according  to  my  reckon- 
ing." 

"  That 's  all  true,  Jerry,"  said  Tom  Haines ;  "  but  then,  you 
kriDw,  't  is  a  dreadful  trial  to  a  fellow's  patience  to  see  a 
stout  ship  crawl  along  so  slowly  with  a  fair  wind,  and  plenty 
of  it.  She  puts  me  in  mind  of  a  seal  trying  to  dance  a  horn 
pipe,  or  a  Gallapagos  tortoise  in  search  of  a  guana.  I  wonder 
Captain  Spriggins  don't  station  a  man  on  the  taffrail  all  night 
to  keep  a  bright  look-out  astern,  lest  some  decent  sailing  craft 
should  run  us  down.  There  would  be  more  sense  in  that  than 
in  making  such  a  fuss  about  a  sharp  look-out  on  the  fore 
castle." 

"Well, Tom,"  rejoined  Jerry,  "the  lazy  Atalanta  sails  fast 
enough  for  me.  I  am  sick  of  your  clippers.  I  used  to  like 
quick  going  on  sea  or  on  shore,  as  well  as  any  of  you,  but  I 
got  enough  of  it  about  five  years  ago  (pointing  to  his  battered 
face),  and  have  never  wanted  to  go  faster  than  four  or  five 
knots  an  hour  since,  either  on  the  land  or  on  the  ocean." 

"How  was  it,  Jerry?  Tell  us  all  about  it,"  exclaimed 
two  or  three  of  the  watch,  hoping  to  get  a  yarn  on  stretch, 
of  a  different  kind  from  those  they  were  busied  in  knotting. 

"  Why,  you  see,"  said  Jerry  Marlinspike,  "  I  had  just 
returned  from  an  eighteen  months'  voyage  to  Calcutta ;  and, 
being  an  India  blade,  with  plenty  of  shiners  in  my  pocket,  I 
thought  it  but  right  to  cut  up  a  few  shines  on  shore,  just  to 


120  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

astonish  the  natives,  you  see.  So,  on  the  morning  after  I  got 
ashore,  I  felt  all  alive  for  a  spree,  and  determined  to  have  a 
ride.  «  That  's  right,'  said  Jim  Wilder  ;  '  hire  a  hack,  and 
I  '11  go  with  you.' 

"  '  Avast  there,  shipmate,'  said  I  ;  '  I  intend  to  go  a  horse 
back.'  At  this  determination,  they  all  laughed,  and  asked  me 
if  I  was  ever  on  a  horse  in  my  life.  I  told  them  no,  but  that 
was  no  reason  why  I  should  never  mount  one  ;  that  it  was 
never  too  late  to  learn  ;  that  riding  on  horseback  was  good 
for  one's  health  ;  that  I  wanted  exercise,  and  felt  convinced 
that  a  good  rattling  gallop  would  do  me  good.  And  away  I 
posted  down  to  a  livery  stable. 

"  After  a  long  confab  with  the  stable-keeper,  and  deposit 
ing  a  hundred  dollars  to  pay  for  the  horse,  in  case  I  killed  him, 
or  ran  away  with  him,  the  horse  was  brought  out.  He  was  a 
strapping  fellow,  and  had  a  sharp  and  roguish  eye.  I  believe 
the  rascal  knew  that  I  was  a  green  hand  at  such  business. 
I  did  not  like  his  looks.  The  owner  told  me  how  to  hold  the 
reins,  and  steer  him,  by  pulling  one  to  starboard  or  port,  as 
occasion  might  require.  '  But,'  said  he,  '  he  is  a  high-spirited 
animal,  and  you  must  look  out  that  he'does  not  run  away  with 
you.'1 

"  '  That  would  be  a  good  joke,'  said  I,  '  and  I  should  not 
hear  the  last  of  it  for  six  months.  But  I  know  how  to  put  a 
stopper  on  that  business  at  once.'  So  I  led  my  horse  down  to 
the  wharf,  where  my  old  ship  was  discharging,  and  asked  the 
mate  to  lend  me  the  small  boat's  grapnel,  and  a  piece  of  rat 
tling  stuff,  which  he  did  ;  for  Mr.  Ramsay  was  a  clever 
fellow,  although  he  used  to  bother  us  a  good  deal  in  his  watch 
in  trimming  the  sails  and  bracing  the  yards.  I  fastened  the 
rope  around  the  horse's  neck,  then  made  a  snug  coil  of  the 
rest  on  the  bow  of  the  saddle,  and  on  the  top  of  all  I  put  my 
anchor,  ready  to  let  go,  and  bring  up  my  craft  all  standing, 
if  she  got  too  much  way  on.  But  I  was  always  as  fond  of 


r 


JERRY  MARLINSPIKE'S  RIDE.  l'2l 

going  fast,  as  any  of  you  chaps  on  board  the  Atalanta,  and 
did  n't  believe  there  was  much  danger. 

"  After  getting  everything  ready,  I  was  helped  up  to  the 
horse's  back,  and  I  never  felt  so  queer  in  my  life.  A  horse 
knows  a  thing  or  two.  The  cunning  creature  lifted  up  his 
head  and  gave  me  a  look  over  the  larboard  shoulder,  as  if  he 
would  say  '  I  '11  fix  you,  my  lad,  before  we  get  back ; '  and  I 
would  have  given  fifty  dollars  to  have  been  at  that  time 
standing  on  the  Flemish  horse  at  the  end  of  the  Montezuma's 
main-topsail  yard,  reefing  topsails  in  a  gale  of  wind.  But  it 
was  too  late  to  alter  my  plan,  and  '  neck  or  nothing  '  was  then 
my  motto ;  so  I  determined  to  heave  ahead,  and  save  the 
tide,  especially  as  I  had  my  anchor  at  the  bow,  all  ready  to 
let  go,  if  I  found  myself  getting  among  the  breakers. 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what,  shipmates,  this  riding  on  horseback  is 
a  serious  thing,  unless  you  are  used  to  it.  Such  pitching  and 
rolling  I  never  met  with  before  nor  since,  not  even  when 
sending  down  top-gallant  yards  in  a  gale  of  wind  off  the 
Falkland  islands.  They  told  me  how  to  steer  him,  by  haul 
ing  hard  on  the  starboard  rope,  when  I  wished  him  to  go 
more  to  starboard ;  and  on  the  larboard  rope,  when  I  wished 
him  to  go  to  port.  If  I  wished  to  heave  to,  I  must  bring  an 
equal  strain  to  bear  on  both  the  ropes,  and  take  a  strong 
pull. 

"  We  started  off,  and  seemed  to  understand  each  other  very 
well  for  a  while.  The  horse  did  not  seem  inclined  to  go  fast, 
and  I  managed  to  keep  my  perpendicular  pretty  well ;  but  the 
boys  shouted  and  the  men  grinned  as  I  rode  along  the  street, 
and,  having  gathered  courage,  I,  like  a  fool  as  I  was,  resolved 
to  clap  on  more  sail,  and  get  out  of  town,  where  I  should  find 
plane  sailing,  and  be  able  to  crowd  on  every  stitch  of  canvas. 
Accordingly,  I  gave  my  good  friend  a  touch  with  my  whip, 
and  off  he  started  with  a  jerk,  that  came  near  tumbling  me 
over  the  taffrail ;  and  just  then  sow  little  powder-monkeys  — 

" 


122  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

bad  luck  to  them  !  —  set  up  a  hideous  yell,  which  frightened 
him,  and  away  he  went,  kicking,  and  sprawling,  and  gallop 
ing,  at  the  rate  of  fifteen  or  twenty  knots,  with  poor  Jerry 
on  his  back  ! 

"  I  clung  to  him  like  a  wet  Guernsey  frock  to  the  back  of 
a  sailor,  and  although  at  first  rather  tickled  than  otherwise, 
at  the  idea  of  going  at  such  a  furious  rate,  I  soon  found  I 
could  not  stand  it  long,  for  my  ship  was  mighty  uneasy,  and 
plunged  as  if  scudding  against  a  head  sea,  immediately  after 
the  shifting  of  the  wind  in  a  hurricane.  Such  a  jolting  and 
pounding  as  I  got  has  seldom  fallen  to  the  lot  of  a  poor  Jack 
tar.  My  tarpaulin  was  soon  left  behind,  and  I  felt  as  if 
every  timber  about  me  would  be  shaken  out  of  place.  I 
dropped  the  whip,  grabbed  the  reins,  and  pulled  with  all  my 
might ;  but  it  was  of  no  use.  I  might  as  well  have  tried  to 
sway  up  the  main-topsail  by  pulling  upon  the  main-topgal 
lant-stay.  Indeed,  the  more  I  pulled,  the  faster  the  creature 
went. 

"  The  town  I  soon  left  far  astern,  and  passed  by  fields,  and 
bushes,  and  pastures,  and  trees,  and  houses,  and  carts,  and 
men,  and  women,  and  children,  who  all  looked  on  with  open 
mouths  and  staring  eyes,  as  if  they  had  never  seen  a  horse 
running  away  with  a  sailor  before.  More  than  once  I  was 
within  an  ace  of  being  pitched  heels  over  head  into  the  jungle 
alongside  of  the  road,  notwithstanding  I  had  by  this  time 
dropped  the  bridle,  and  clung  to  the  horse's  mane.  I  grew 
dizzy,  which  you  know,  shipmates,  is  a  disagreeable  feeling, 
and  was  in  hopes  that  my  cutter  would  soon  shorten  sail,  and 
allow  a  fellow  a  little  time  to  breathe.  But  no,  on  he  went, 
over  bridges,  hills,  and  valleys.  Nothing  seemed  to  stop  him 
or  lessen  his  speed,  and  at  last  I  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  would  be  as  well  to  bring  the  ship  to  an  anchor. 

"  We  soon  came  to  a  spot  where  the  bottom  was  muddy 
and  rocky,  which  I  thought  must  prove  to  be  good  holding- 


JERRY    MARLINSPIKES   RIDE.  L'26 

ground.  I  took  my  rigger's  knife  from  the  sheath,  although, 
while  so  doing,  I  had  like  to  have  gone  overboard,  head  first. 
I  cut  the  stops  which  fastened  my  ground  tackling  to  the 
saddle,  and  sung  out,  '  Stand  by  the  anchor  !  *  '  Ay,  ay, 
sir.'  By  hauling  taut  upon  the  larboard  rein,  I  brought 
my  ship  up  into  the  wind,  in  true  sailor  fashion;  but,  with  all 
my  seamanship,  I  could  not  manage  to  check  the  ship's  way. 
'  Let  go  the  anchor  ! '  shouted  I,  at  the  top  of  my  lungs ;  and 
overboard  it  went,  and  made  such  a  rattling  about  the  heels 
of  the  runaway,  that  he  bounded  faster  than  ever. 

"  Thinks  I  to  myself,  old  boy,  your  race  will  be  soon  run  ; 


but  I  found,  to  my  sorrow,  that  the  cable  had  all  run  out, 
and  the  holding-ground  was  good  for  nothing.     The  anchor 


124  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

dragged,  and,  for  a  time,  did  not  check  the  rate  of  the  beast 
any  more  than  a  kedge  and  towline  would  a  ship  of  five  hun 
dred  tons,  when  in  the  outer  roads  of  Buenos  Ayres,  during  a 
pampero.  I  began  to  think  that  it  was  a  gone  case  with  poor 
Jerry,  when  the  anchor  caught  behind  a  big  rock,  slewed  the 
bow  of  the  ship  right  round,  and  brought  her  up  all  standing ! 
I  was  not  prepared  for  coming  to  so  suddenly,  and  away  I 
went,  like  a  sky-rocket,  about  fifteen  or  twenty  yards  further, 
and  landed  among  the  rocks  ! 

"  The  shock  was  so  violent  that  all  my  seven  senses  were 
completely  knocked  out  of  me.  When  I  came  to,  I  found 
myself  lying  on  a  bed,  with  my  hull  and  upper  works  pretty 
well  battered,  and  a  doctor  hard  at  work,  paying  and  calking 
the  seams,  and  repairing  damages.  That  was  no  easy  matter, 
shipmates,  you  may  rely  upon  it ;  for  three  of  my  ribs  and 
my  collar-bone  were  broken,  and  I  received  a  severe  wound 
on  the  side  of  my  head,  which  the  doctor  said  would  have 
finished  me,  if  my  skull  had  not  been  uncommonly  thick.  My 
face  was  bruised  and  cut,  so  that  not  even  my  own  mother 
would  have  known  her  darling  Jerry  if  she  had  been  on  the 
spot ;  and  my  nose  was  completely  unshipped,  and  lay  keel 
out  on  the  starboard  side  of  my  face  ! 

"  The  doctor  had  a  tough  job  of  it,  as  well  as  myself;  and 
it  was  a  long  time  before  I  was  able  to  do  duty  on  board 
ship.  My  nose,  and,  indeed,  my  whole  phiz,  was  put  sadly 
out  of  joint,  as  you  see,  —  and  I  have  never  been  in  a  hurry 
since !  " 


A  TALE  OF  THE  WINTER'S  COAST. 

Hoarse  through  the  cordage  growled  the  threatening  wind, 

Portentous  of  the  storm.     The  expanse  of  heaven 

Upheld  by  murky  columns,  seemed  convulsed 

With  one  wide  waste  of  elemental  war. 

From  every  point  along  the  bounding  surge 

Rolled  the  black  phalanx  of  electric  fluid, 

Borne  on  the  pinions  of  the  maddening  blast ! 

OLD  PLAY. 

<• 
FEW  persons  are  aware  of  the  hardships  and  perils  that  are 

sometimes  encountered  by  our  gallarit  mariners,  when  boii!i>l 
to  a  port  in  Massachusetts  Bay  in  the  winter  season.  The 
rock-bound  coast,  the  thick  weather  and  the  storms  which 
prevail,  the  freezing  temperature,  and  the  difficulty  of  the 
navigation,  owing  to  the  numerous  headlands  and  sunken 
dangers,  all  unite  to  make  the  experienced  sailor  dread  the 
idea  of  coming  on  the  "  winter's  coast "  of  j^ew  England. 

Any  person  who  is  familiar  with  maritime  adventures  will 
easily  recall  to  his  recollection  many  instances  of  melancholy 
disaster,  of  fearful  and  prolonged  suffering,  of  fatal  ship 
wrecks,  experienced  by  our  mariners,  when  bound  to  a  north 
ern  port  during  the  season  of  frost  and  snow-storms.  It  is  in 
the  midst  of  such  scenes  as  these  that  a  genuine  sailor  often 
manifests  a  firmness,  an  intrepidity,  a  presence  of  mind,  and 
an  ingenuity  in  devising  expedients,  which,  if  they  could  be 
appreciated  by  landsmen,  would  elicit  unqualified  admiration. 
But  those  who  are  quietly  reposing  in  the  lap  of  luxury  on 
shore,  who  glide  smoothly  and  gently  down  the  stream  of  life, 


126  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

are  too  apt  to  consider  the  task  of  sailing  and  navigating  a 
ship,  even  in  a  stormy  sea,  or  on  a  dangerous  coast,  as  an 
operation,  hazardous,  it  may  be,  but  altogether  mechanical ; 
that  a  knowledge  of  the  rules  of  seamanship  and  navigation, 
and  some  little  experience,  are  all  the  requisites  for  a  good 
shipmaster.  This  is  a  great  error.  Any  person  who  is  con 
versant  with  the  various  vicissitudes  of  a  sailor's  life,  knows, 
full  well,  that  the  situation  of  commander  of  a  ship  at  sea,  is 
not  only  one  of  great  responsibility,  requiring  constant  care 
and  attention  to  manifold  important  duties,  but  that  emergen 
cies  often  arise,  calling  for  the  exercise  of  the  noblest  faculties 
of  a  well-disciplined  mind,  such  as  a  sound  judgment,  a  quick 
and  almost  intuitive  perception  of  causes  and  effects,  prompt 
decision,  indomitable  courage,  unflinching  energy,  and  exem 
plary  fortitude  in  scenes  of  suffering  and  misfortune. 

These,  it  will  be  acknowledged,  are  qualities  of  a  high 
order,  and  such  as  must  lead  to  success,  perhaps  eminence, -in 
any  pursuit,  but  are,  perhaps,  more  desirable  in  a  commander 
of  a  ship  than  in  a  person  devoted  to  any  other  civil  employ 
ment.  I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  these  qualities  are  indis 
pensable,  for  I  have  known  an  excessively  stupid  fellow,  by 
dint  of  a  little  assurance  and  smartness  on  shore,  and  some 
extra  good  luck  at  sea,  acquire  a  happy  reputation  as  a  ship 
master.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  known  incidents  to  occur 
on  the  ocean,  which  have  elicited  from  those  in  command, 
having  charge  of  many  lives  and  a  great  amount  of  property, 
mental  manifestations  of  a  character  worthy  the  respect  and 
admiration  of  their  fellow-men ;  and  which,  if  they  could  be 
known  and  appreciated,  would  place  these  bold  mariners  high 
in  the  list  of  heroes  who  have  achieved  glory,  not  by  wading 
to  empire  through  a  sea  of  blood,  as  the  poet  hath  it,  but 
by  an  exhibition  of  qualities  which  reflect  honor  on  human 
nature. 

Disasters  of  a  serious  character  sometimes  occur  on  the 


A  TALK  OF  THE  WINTER'S  COAST.  \'ll 

oceau,  which  no  human  foresight  can  prevent,  and  which  no 
human  wisdom  can  remedy.  It  is  also  true  that  the  origin 
of  many  sad,  even  fatal  disasters,  if  carefully  traced,  will  be 
found  in  the  incompetency,  imbecility,  or  unfaithfulness  of 
shipmasters,  although  this  reason  is  seldom  alluded  to  in  the 
accounts  of  the  disasters  which  appear  in  newspapers. 

But  enough  of  this.  I  have  a  story  to  tell,  of  the  disasters 
which  once  befell  a  ship,  when  bound  to  a  port  in  Massachu 
setts  Bay,  in  the  winter  season,  and  which,  while  I  hope  it 
will  prove  entertaining  to  some  of  my  readers,  while  enjoy 
ing  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  home,  may  serve  to  point  out 
a  few  of  the  dangers  of  the  "  winter's  coast,"  and  illustrate 
the  importance  to  a  shipmaster  of  possessing  some  of  the  high 
qualities  which  I  have  enumerated. 

It  was  some  twenty  or  twenty-five  years  ago,  that  the 
ship  Coriander  was  on  her  way  from  Rio  Janeiro,  bound  to 
Boston.  The  crew  had  been  absent  from  home  for  twelve  or 
fifteen  months,  during  which  time  they  had  luxuriated  in 
warm  and  genial  climates,  and  had  experienced  none  of  the 
frosts  or  freezing  storms,  which  are  so  often  met  with  on  the 
northern  coast  of  America  or  Europe  in  the  winter  months. 
They  shuddered  at  the  idea  of  reaching  Boston  Bay  in  the 
month  of  January,  especially  as  their  ship  was  deeply  laden, 
and  had  a  habit,  even  when  in  ballast  trim,  of  taking  in  a, 
little  water,  during  a  strong  breeze,  without  regard  to  circum 
stances,  or  the  comfort  of  any  person  on  board.  Beside  this, 
their  clothing  was  adapted  to  a  warm  climate,  and  they  had 
but  few  garments  calculated  to  keep  them  dry  and  warm 
when  approaching  the  coast.  But,  with  a  sailor's  proverbial 
philosophy,  they  solaced  themselves  with  the  anticipation  of 
a  short  passage  home,  a  good  run  through  the  South  Channel, 
and  a  lucky  slant  of  wind  after  getting  round  Cape  Cod,  which 
would  take  them  safely  into  Nantasket  Roads. 

4-  We  shall  have  a  good  time,  I  know  we  shall !  "  emphnti- 


'  SALT  WATER    BUBBLES. 

cally  exclaimed  Bob  Haskell,  as  he  was  burrowing  through  a 
miscellaneous  collection  of  articles  at  the  bottom  of  his  chest, 
in  the  vain  hope  of  finding  there  a  pair  of  dilapidated  mittens. 
It  is  not  every  vessel  that  meets  with  the  rubbers  between 
George's  Bank  and  the  Great  Brewster.  It  is  as  pleasant 
sometimes  in  December  off  Cape  Cod,  as  in  the  Bay  of  All 
Saints  in  January ;  and  I  have  known  the  air  as  mild,  when 
fishing  for  halibut  on  Cashe's  Ledge,  on  Christmas-day,  as  it 
is  in  Rio  Janeiro  at  the  present  date.  Hurrah  for  Boston 
Bay !  Who  's  afraid  ?  " 

"  Not  I !  "  growled  an  old  Triton,  known  by  the  name  of 
Bill  Stubshot.  "  Yet,  lads,  you  must  not  believe  that  it  is 
always  fine  weather  in  the  neighborhood  of  Cape  Cod.  I  Ve 
seen  some  tough  times  in  the  bay,  both  in  going  on  and  com 
ing  off  the  coast ;  times  that  would  make  a  man's  hair  stand 
on  end  until  it  pushed  his  cap  off !  But  this  is  a  lucky  ship, 
we  have  a  lucky  captain,  and  we  are  all  a  set  of  lucky  fel 
lows.  Besides,  I  was  once  becalmed  for  forty-eight  hours  at 
a  stretch,  on  Christmas-day,  in  sight  of  Thacher's  Island. 
The  captain  declared  we  should  have  a  goose  for  dinner  on 
that  day ;  and  he  was  as  good  as  his  word,  for  he  shot  a 
gannet,  which  every  green-horn  knows  is  a  soland  goose, 
and  we  had  it  made  into  a  sea-pie,  and  a  capital  mess  it  was, 
too." 

"  That  will  do,  Bill !  that  will  do  !  "  said  the  chief  mate, 
Mr.  Stanchell,  who  had  stepped  forward  to  give  some  neces 
sary  order,  and  had  overheard  Bill's  remarks.  "  That  was  a 
long  Christmas-day  !  Forty-eight  hours,  —  hey,  Bill  ?  A 
long  day,  that !  " 

And  the  hearty  laugh  which  attended  this  exposition  of 
a  discrepancy  that  reflected  a  doubt  on  Bill  Stubshot's  ve 
racity,  put  an  end  to  any  further  speculations  for  the  time. 

The  Coriander  was  commanded  by  Captain  Nicholas 
Chestree,  a  man  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  a  good 


A    TALE   OF   THE    WINTER'S    COAST.  129 

practical  seaman,  for  he  had  gradually  worked  his  way  along 
from  an  uneducated  cabin-boy,  without  friends  or  relations,  to 
the  top  of  the  ladder.  He  was  a  man  of  few  words,  and  of  a 
very  mild  and  unassuming  deportment,  especially  on  shore. 
Those  who  did  not  know  him,  and  who  were  apt  to  judge  from 
appearances,  were  apt  to  regard  him  as  deficient  in  that  energy 
and  spirit,  which  are  acknowledged  to  be  important  qualifica 
tions  in  a  ship-master.  He  was  of  medium  height,  but  not 
remarkable  for  the  excellence  of  his  physical  proportions,  his 
frame  being  rather  slight,  and  his  complexion  pale.  There 
was  nothing  of  the  bully  about  him ;  and  many  persons  won 
dered  how  such  a  sober,  milk-and-water  character  as  he  ap 
peared  to  be,  could  manage  to  make  such  short  passages,  and 
successful  voyages,  and  keep  his  crew  in  such  excellent  disci 
pline,  as  he  had  the  reputation  of  doing. 

But  Captain  Chestree,  notwithstanding  his  ordinary  ap 
pearance,  was,  so  far  as  his  head  and  heart  were  concerned,  a 
man,  —  every  inch  of  him.  He  possessed  kind  feelings,  cher 
ished  an  instinctive  desire  to  do  justice  to  all,  and,  in  cases  of 
emergency,  exhibited  great  determination  of  character.  He 
treated  his  sailors  like  beings  possessed  of  the  ordinary  attri 
butes  of  humanity.  His  conduct  towards  them  was  firm, 
decided,  humane  and  just.  He  exacted  from  them  nothing 
of  an  unreasonable  character,  and  never  interlarded  his  orders 
with  abusive  or  profane  language,  or  allowed  his  officers  to  do 
so.  He  gave  them  distinctly  to  understand,  at  the  outset,  that 
certain  rules  and  regulations  must  be  observed,  and  that  above 
all  things  he  should  expect  strict  and  prompt  obedience  to  his 
orders.  He  forbade  all  grumbling  or  growling,  with  or  with 
out  cause  ;  but  told  his  men  that  if  they  had  any  grievances, 
if  they  were  dissatisfied  with  their  treatment  or  provision,  or 
wished  for  any  .especial  indulgences,  to  come  aft  upon  the 
quarter-deck,  and  explain  the  matter  in  plain  and  respectful 
language,  and  it  should  at  once  be  attended  to.  If  their  com- 


130  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

plaints  were  just,  they  should  be  remedied ;  if  their  requests 
were  reasonable,  they  should  be  granted. 

In  a  few  days  after  leaving  port,  his  crew  would  be  able  to 
understand  their  captain  thoroughly.  They  learned  to  respect 
him  for  his  good  sense,  for  the  knowledge  which  he  exhibited 
of  his  duties  as  a  ship-master,  and  for  the  fidelity  with  which 
he  executed  those  duties ;  and  they  learned  to  love  him  for 
the  kindness  of  his  disposition,  and  for  the  interest  which  he 
manifested  in  their  welfare  while  under  his  care.  They  felt 
convinced  that  he  would  dictate  to  them  no  task  or  labors, 
from  a  feeling  of  caprice,  or  a  tyrannical  spirit ;  and  it  fol 
lowed,  almost  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  whenever  an  order 
was  issued  to  malce  sail,  or  take  in  sail,  every  man  was  eager 
to  be  foremost  in  executing  the  order.  No  such  a  feeling  as 
ill-humor  or  discontent  on  board  his  vessel,  was  ever  mani 
fested  by  the  crew  ;  all  was  sunshine  in  the  cabin  and  in  the 
forecastle.  There  were  no  sulky  looks,  insolent  answers,  pro 
voking  actions,  revolts,  or  mutinies,  on  the  one  part,  or  op 
pressive  mandates,  profane  oaths,  floggings  and  fightings,  on 
the  other.  Every  order  was  cheerfully  obeyed  the  instant  it 
was  given ;  and  quiet,  harmony,  and  strict  discipline,  prevailed 
on  board  the  Coriander,  as  well  as  on  board  every  ship  which 
was  commanded  by  Captain  Chestree. 

Such  was  the  character  of  the  man  who  commanded  the 
ship  Coriander,  on  the  voyage  from  Rio  to  Boston,  on  the 
occasion  to  which  I  have  alluded. 

The  Coriander  sailed  from  Rio  in  the  latter  part  of  Octo 
ber,  with  a  full  and  valuable  cargo.  She  experienced  a  good 
passage  and  pleasant  weather  through  the  latitudes  of  the 
trade  winds,  and  until  she  reached  the  latitude  of  the  "vexed 
Bermoothes,"  better  known  to  seamen  as  Bermuda,  and  noto 
rious  for  the  sudden  and  violent  squalls  that  are  met  with  in 
that  vicinity  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  In  this  latitude  the 
Coriander  met  with  a  succession  of  westerly  gales,  which 


A    TALE    OF    THE    WINTER'S   COAST.  131 

lasted  several  days.  The  good  ship,  under  close-reefed  top 
sails,  and  reefed  courses,  plunged  madly  along  through  the 
water  to  the  northward,  scattering  the  spray  over  the  decks 
in  every  direction,  and  more  resembling  in  character  one  of 
Bushnell's  submarine  machines,  than  a  good,  wholesome,  well- 
educated  ship,  which  ought  to  move  along  over  the  surface  of 
the  water,  instead  of  scrambling  through  it  like  a  right  whale 
in  a  flurry ! 

The  crew  got  wet  jackets,  as  a  matter  of  course.  This 
they  were  used  to,  and  did  not  mind  it  much.  But  what  was 
worse,  and  which  disturbed  their  equanimity  a  little,  the  fore 
castle  sprung  a  leak  about  the  timber-heads  and  bowsprit- 
bits  ;  and,  at  every  plunge  into  the  head  sea,  streams  of 
water  would  rush  into  their  berths,  and  saturate  their  mat 
tresses  and  blankets  with  the  briny  fluid,  placing  them  in  a 
hydropathic  condition,  that  would  have  rejoiced  the  heart  of 
a  Preisnitz,  or  any  of  his  cold-water  disciples,  could  they  have 
seen  them.  The  weather,  fortunately,  was  not  very  cold,  for 
the  ship  had  not  reached  soundings ;  but  as  Ned  Skysail  was 
wont  to  say,  "  wet  clothing  on  deck,  and  a  perpetual  salt-water 
bath  below,  will  not  increase  the  comfort  of  any  human  being, 
excepting  a  grampus  or  a  mermaid." 

Captain  Chestree  expected  some  heavy  weather  on  the 
coast,  and  took  all  proper  precautions  to  guard  against  seri 
ous  consequences.  He  had  the  flying-jib-boom  taken  in,  a 
stump  main  top-gallant  mast  fitted,  and  the  fore  and  mizen 
top-gallant  masts  sent  down.  He  allowed  no  useless  studding- 
sail  booms,  or  top-hamper  of  any  kind  to  remain  aloft.  He 
gave  orders  to  have  the  stoutest  sails  to  be  bent,  the  topsail 
sheets  and  ties,  the  fore  and  main  tacks  and  sheets,  and  indeed 
all  the  most  important  of  the  running  rigging,  to  be  overhauled 
and  put  in  good  condition.  He  caused  spilling  lines  to  be  roved, 
to  aid  in  taking  in  a  topsail  or  course,  if  necessary  in  a  heavy 
enow-storm ;  the  boats,  spars,  galley,  &c.,  to  be  secured  by 


132  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

additional  lashings  ;  and,  indeed,  he  omitted  no  precautionary 
measure,  which  prudence,  and  his  experience  as  a  seaman, 
would  suggest. 

It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  December  that  the 
ship  entered  the  edge  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  as  indicated  by  the 
-increased  temperature  of  the  water,  in  the  meridian  of  George's 
Bank.  The  wind,  after  shifting  about  for  several  hours,  set 
tled  at  south-east,  and  began  to  blow  furiously,  and  the  rain 
came  down  in  earnest.  It  was  in  good  truth  a  pelting,  pitiless 
storm,  and  the  penetrating  drops,  not  content  with  saturating 
the  fibres  of  the  stoutest  garments  on  board,  moistened  the 
skins  of  the  wearers,  and  gave  all  hands  a  pretty  thorough 
soaking.  Captain  Chestree,  during  this  gale,  was  at  his  post 
on  the  quarter-deck,  for,  at  any  critical  period,  he  would  not 
trust  to  a  subordinate  officer.  The  ship  was  running  along  at 
the  rate  of  some  eight  or  nine  knots  before  the  wind,  under 
close-reefed  fore  and  main  topsails,  and  fore-topmast  stay 
sail.  The  wind,  as  it  came  in  fierce  pufls  or  squalls,  moaned 
and  yelled  among  the  rigging,  and  sometimes  came  with  a 
violence  which  threatened  to  force  the  sails  from  the  bolt- 
rope.  But  Chestree  was  sensible  of  the  value  of  a  fair  wind 
at  that  season  of  the  year,  and  being  almost  certain  that  it 
would  suddenly  change  to  the  north-west,  he  resolved  to 
carry  on  as  long  as  he  thought  the  canvas  and  spars  would 
stand. 

Through  the  whole  of  that  day  and  the  early  part  of  that 
night,  Chestree  kept  his  station  on  the  larboard  side  of  the 
quarter-deck,  regardless  of  the  gale  and  the  torrents  of  rain 
which  were  descending  from  the  clouds.  He  occasionally  gave 
a  direction  to  the  man  at  the  wheel,  and  sometimes  he  cast  a 
look  astern,  and  remarked  with  a  shrug  the  heavy,  black 
clouds,  piled  upon  each  other,  which  seemed  to  contain  within 
themselves  materials  for  a  hurricane  of  a  week's  endurance. 
But  his  gaze  was  most  constantly  fixed  at  the  horizon  in  the 


A    TALE    OF    THE   WINTER'S    COAST.  133 

direction  of  the  larboard  bow,  or  between  the  points  of  west 
and  north-west.  He  watched  with  much  eagerness  the  ap 
pearance  of  the  heavens  in  that  direction  ;  —  his  experience 
taught  him  to  expect  a  sudden  change  of  wind  in  those  lati 
tudes,  after  a  heavy  storm  from  the  south,  in  the  winter  sea 
son  ;  and  he  anxiously  sought  for  the  earliest  indications  of 
the  change. 

About  nine  o'clock,  the  fury  of  the  storm  seemed  to  in 
crease.  The  sea  was  running  high,  and  the  crest  of  a  comb 
ing  wave  would  occasionally  break  over  the  quarter  of  the 
laboring  ship,  drenching  with  salt  water,  by  way  of  a  change, 
the  helmsman,  officers,  and  any  other  poor  fellow,  who  hap 
pened  to  be  in  that  vicinity.  The  ship  was  tolerably  lean 
aft,  and  scudded  as  well  as  could  be  expected ;  but  she  was 
deep,  and,  in  spite  of  the  utmost  care,  would  broach  to,  two  or 
three  points,  at  times  when  struck  with  a  sudden  and  fitful 
gust.  The  temperature  of  the  water,  by  this  time,  had 
changed ;  it  was  many  degrees  colder  than  was  usual  iii  the 
Gulf  Stream,  and  Captain  Chestree  knew  from  that  circum 
stance,  and  also  from  the  change  in  the  color  of  the  water  from 
a  clear  blue  to  a  dark  and  dirty  green,  that  the  ship  was  on 
soundings  off  the  entrance  of  the  South  Channel.  As  the 
wind  increased,  he  came  to  the  determination  to  take  in  the 
fore-topsail,  and  lay  the  ship  to  the  wind,  fearing  that  she 
might  broach  to,  and  ship  a  sea  in  the  waist  that  would  sweep 
the  decks.  But  just  as  he  was  about  to  give  the  necessary 
orders,  he  thought  he  saw,  through  the  dark  curtain  of  mist, 
spoondrift  and  rain,  an  uncertain  gleam,  along  the  western 
horizon.  At  this  moment,  the  gale  seemed  to  increase  in 
fury,  as  if  it  had  reached  its  climax,  and  was  resolved  to  bear 
down  all  opposition  ;  but  Captain  Chestree,  who  knew  that 
this  was  a  desperate,  expiring  effort,  called  to  the  chief  mate, 
who  was  standing  near  him,  "  3Ir.  Stanchell,  let  all  hands  be 
called.  Tell  them  to  be  lively,  and  muster  on  deck  at  once." 
12 


134  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

The  echo  of  the  loud  and  sonorous  call  of  "  All  hands 
ahoy  !  "  had  hardly  ceased  in  the  forecastle,  when  the  star 
board  watch  came  tumbling  up.  The  braces  were  manned, 
and  all  the  crew  stationed,  ready  to  act  as  circumstances 
might  require. 

By  this  time  the  "  gleam  "  in  the  north-west  became  more 
marked  and  definite.  "  We  shall  soon  catch  it,"  said  the  cap 
tain  to  Mr.  Stanchell;  "but  we  are  well  prepared." 

Another  fearful  rush  of  wind  threatened  to  split  the  sails 
from  clues  to  earings,  attended  with  a  rattling  volley  of  rain, 
and  then  the  south-east  wind,  as  if  compelled  to  give  way 
before  a  stronger  power,  reluctantly  but  rapidly  died  away. 
A  calm  ensued ;  the  heavy,  wet  sails  flapped  against  the 
masts  as  the  vessel  rolled  heavily  in  the  trough  of  the  sea ; 
and  the  "gleam  "in  the  north-west  constantly  grew  higher, 
and  extended  further  on  each  side.  And  now  was  experienced 
that  peculiar  and  beautiful  appearance  of  the  waves,  which  is 
witnessed  previous  to  any  sudden  change  of  the  wind.  Al 
though  not  a  breath  was  stirring,  the  water  around  was  in  the 
most  violent  commotion ;  it  was  thrown  up  in  perpendicular 
jets  in  every  direction,  and  was  hissing  and  spitting  as  if 
lashed  into  an  ungovernable  rage.  At  such  a  time  the  face 
of  the  ocean,  when  seen  by  the  light  of  day,  presents  a  most 
singular  and  fantastic  appearance,  and  reminds  one  of  an 
agitated  and  impatient  spirit,  vainly  striving  to  break  the 
chains  which  confine  it  to  its  narrow  bounds.  This  was  another 
certain  indication  of  a  sudden  change  of  wind. 

The  calm  was  only  of  a  few  minutes'  duration.  The  rain 
still  fell  from  the  dark  clouds  in  the  zenith,  although  the  scud, 
or  low  light  clouds,  like  winged  spirits,  now  began  to  fly  over 
rapidly  from  the  north-west.  The  helm  was  put  "hard-a- 
port,"  but  the  ship  had  not  steerage  way,  and  still  headed  to 
the  northward. 

"  Brace  round  the  fore  yard  ! "  shouted  Captain  Chestree. 


A   TALE   OF   THE    WINTER'S   COAST.  135 

"  Haul  in  the  larboard  fore  and  fore-topsail  braces.  If  the 
wind  catches  her  aback,"  said  he  to  himself,  "we  must  box  her 
off." 

This  order  was  no  sooner  executed  than  the  main  yard 
was  braced  in  the  required  direction.  A  light  air  was  now  felt 
from  the  north-west,  and  a  noise  was  heard  as  of  the  roaring 
of  many  winds  and  waters.  "It  is  coming  !  "  shouted  Ches- 
tree,  "  and  but -end  foremost,  too  !  Stand  by  !  " 

The  ship  felt  the  force  of  the  faint  breathings  from  the 
north-west,  and  gradually  fell  off  a  couple  of  point?.  "  Let  go 
the  larboard  fore-braces,"  cried  Chestree,  in  a  loud  voice,  "  and 
brace  round  the  head  yards  !  " 

This  order  was  promptly  executed,  and  just  in  time,  too. 
For  the  yards  were  hardly  trimmed,  ere  the  fierce  wind  from 
the  north-west  came  with  a  whiz,  and  Careened  the  noble 
vessel  far  over  on  her  side.  Captain  Chestree  would  have 
taken  in  the  fore-topsail,  and  hove  his  vessel -to,  under  the 
close-reefed  main-topsail,  at  once,  but,  with  the  mountainous 
waves  from  the  south-east,  he  dreaded  his  ship's  falling  off 
into  the  trough  of  the  sea,  which  would  have  been  the  case 
had  she  been  lying  to  under  a  single  sail.  But  with  his  two 
topsails  and  fore-topmast  staysail,  and  main  spencer,  he  was 
able  to  keep  steerage-way  on  his  vessel,  and  she  jogged  along 
slowly  to  the  eastward,  but  labored  and  strained  in  the  cross- 
seas  to  an  alarming  degree. 

Indeed,  the  Coriander  was  in  an  awful  predicament. 
What  with  the  rushing  waves  from  the  south-east,  striking 
the  ship  on  her  starboard  quarter,  and  occasionally  leaping 
fiercely  on  the  deck,  and  the  strong  wind  and  rising  sea  from 
the  north-west,  the  ship  was  exceedingly  uneasy,  and  seemed 
like  a  huge  giant  struggling  convulsively  with  the  elements. 
Tne  hull  was  a  great  part  of  the  time  enveloped  in  spray,  and 
her  decks  were  full  of  water ;  indeed,  she  sometimes  seemed 
water-logged,  until  the  bulwarks  and  quarter-boards  were 


136  SALT   WATER  BUBBLES. 

washed  away,  giving  full  sweep  for  the  water  athwart  her 
decks. 

With  the  change  of  wind  came  also  a  change  of  tempera 
ture.  The  ship  was  now  on  soundings  off  the  south-western 
portion  of  George's  Bank,  at  the  entrance  of  the  South  Chan 
nel  ;  and  the  crew  soon  found  the  difference  between  a 
southerly  gale  from  the  warm  Gulf  Stream,  and  a  furious 
hurricane  from  the  icy  hills  and  lakes  of  New  England  and 
Canada.  There  was  no  longer  any  rain ;  but  the  dark  clouds, 
which  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession,  pelted  the 
shivering  crew  unmercifully  with  hail-stones,  as  if  to  chastise 
them  for  their  temerity  in  approaching  the  inhospitable 
domains  of  the  ice  king. 

The  water,  as  it  was  thrown  upon  the  rigging,  began  to 
freeze,  and  before  an  hour  had  elapsed,  the  whole  of  the  rig 
ging,  from  the  tops  to  the  plankshear,  was  covered  with  ice ; 
and,  when  daylight  broke  in  the  east,  the  decks  and  rigging 
of  that  vessel  presented  a  gloomy  prospect,  and  the  situation 
of  the  poor  fellows  on  board  was  unpleasant  in  the  extreme. 
With  their  garments  wet  and  frozen,  they  suffered  exceed 
ingly  from  the  cold,  and  the  forecastle  was  so  leaky  and  un 
comfortable,  that  Captain  Chcstree  made  the  men  come  aft, 
and  take  temporary  lodgings  in  the  steerage  and  cabin.  But 
the  ship  now  leaked  considerably,  requiring  the  pumps  to  be 
constantly  tended  ;  and  other  necessary  work  on  deck  de 
manded  the  presence  of  half  the  ship's  company  at  all  times, 
and  occasionally  all  hands. 

It  is  in  such  times  as  these,  when  the  hurricane  is  furiously 
blowing,  and  cataracts  of  salt  water  are  ever  and  anon  poured 
upon  the  heads  of  the  seamen,  drenching  their  outer  and  inner 
garments  ;  when  they  are  standing  half  the  time  knee-deep  in 
water  on  deck,  and  the  ice  is  gathering  on  their  jackets  and 
whiskers,  and  covering  the  hull  of  the  vessel  and  the  ropes 
with  a  crystalline  covering ;  when  the  vessel  labors,  leaks, 


A    TALE    OF    THE    WINTER'S    COAST.  137 

and  apprehension  whispers  that  she  may  founder  at  any 
moment ;  it  is  in  such  times  as  these  that  the  "  old  salts  "  look 
grim  and  blue,  and  the  green  hands  sigh  for  the  enjoyments  of 
home,  and  deplore  their  folly  in  thus  abandoning  such  com 
forts,  and  indulging  a  romantic  desire  to  go  to  sea. 

The  gale  from  the  north-west  continued  without  inter 
mission  through  the  night,  and  at  three  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon  of  the  following  day,  the  sky  looked  as  if  the  wind 
would  not  change  or  moderate  for  a  week.  By  this  time  the 
hull  of  the  ship  was  loaded  with  ice,  and  the  running-rigging 
had  increased  enormously  in  size.  The  weight  of  the  ice 
made  the  ship  less  buoyant,  and  she  lay  almost  like  a  log  on 
the  water,  the  sea  making  a  clean  sweep  across  her  decks  ; 
but  the  waves  were  now  tolerably  regular  from  the  north 
west  ;  the  old  sea  of  the  morning  and  the  night  before  having 
been  nearly  beat  down  by  its  more  powerful  antagonist. 

Captain  Chestree  now  saw  that  he  could  adopt  with 
safety  the  course  which  he  had  sometime  previously  deter 
mined  on,  namely,  to  run  off  to  the  southward,  reenter  the 
Gulf  Stream,  the  warm  temperature  of  which  would  soon  dis 
encumber  his  vessel  of  the  ice,  and  restore  the  exhausted 
energies  of  his  men.  The  helm  was  put  up,  and,  with  much 
difficulty,  owing  to  the  ropes  being  stiff  and  the  blocks  choked 
with  ice,  the  yards  were  squared.  The  ship  fell  off  slowly, 
but,  fortunately,  without  shipping  a  heavy  sea,  and  was  ttx>n 
bowling  it  off  to  the  south-east  at  a  great  rate.  Before 
twelve  o'clock  that  night  she  was  in  another  climate,  and  the 
ice  soon  disappeared,  as  if  by  magic,  before  the  warm  temper 
ature  of  the  Gulf  Stream. 

The  wind  hung  on  at  the  north-west  for  several  days ;  and 
nearly  a  week  elapsed  before  the  Coriander  again  reached 
soundings.  She  had  been  blown,  during  the  prevalence  of  tue 
gale,  far  to  the  eastward,  and  in  consequence  was  compelled 
to  go  round  the  eastern  side  of  George's  Shoal.  The  wind 


138  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

was  now  unsteady,  but  blew  mostly  from  the  westward,  and 
the  ship  was  under  short  sail  nearly  all  the  time,  and  occa 
sionally  lying  to  under  her  close-reefed  main-topsail.  The 
weather  was  exceedingly  cold,  and  the  ship  was  wet  and  un 
comfortable  ;  but,  the  sea  being  regular,  the  ice  did  not  form 
so  fast  or  so  thick  as  during  the  memorable  gale  at  the 
entrance  of  the  South  Channel. 

The  crew  exerted  themselves  to  obey  the  orders  of  their 
commander,  but  their  physical  energies  became  exhausted, 
owing  to  the  cold,  the  wet,  the  want  of  sleep,  and  a  scanty 
supply  of  provisions ;  for,  although  there  was  no  deficiency  of 
beef  and  pork  on  board,  it  was  seldom  that  a  chance  offered 
for  cooking  anything  to  eat ;  the  galley  having  been  knocked 
to  pieces  in  the  gale,  and  the  bulwarks  washed  away.  Still 
it  was  necessary  to  be  active  in  making  and  taking  in  sail, 
according  to  circumstances,  and  thus  improve  to  the  utmost 
every  opportunity  which  might  offer  of  gaining  a  little 
towards  their  destined  port.  This  was  felt  by  every  man  on 
board,  and,  without  a  murmur,  the  crew  strove  to  perform 
their,  various  duties,  and  by  their  alacrity  in  a  great  measure 
supplied  their  deficiency  in  physical  strength.  But  their  suf 
ferings  were  great.  One  night,  while  all  hands  were  on  the 
fore-yard,  handing  the  foresail,  two  youngsters,  Sam  Hawkins 
and  Ephraim  Sawyer,  found  their  feet  so  badly  frozen,  when 
they  came  down,  that  they  were  unable  to  do  any  duty 
afterwards.  Their  agony  was  intense  ;  indeed,  no  one 
can  conceive  of  the  thrilling  pain,  for  days  and  nights, 
admitting  of  no  alleviation,  which  is  caused  fry  frost-bitten 
limbs. 

This  unfortunate  event  reduced  the  numbers  of  the  crew, 
but,  by  dint  of  perseverance,  and  by  beating  and  boxing  about 
for  several  days,  encountering  heavy  gales  from  the  westward, 
followed  by  baffling  winds,  they  succeeded,  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  thirty-first  of  December,  by  taking  advantage  of  a  slant 


A   TALE   OF   THE    WINTER'S   COAST.  139 

of  wind  from  the  southward  and  westward,  to  run  in  towards 
their  destined  port,  until  they  could  see,  some  twelve  or 
fifteen  miles  off,  in  the  south-west,  the  lighthouse  on  the  high 
lands  of  CAPE  COD. 

This  was  a  cheerful  sight,  and  the  familiar  object,  as  it 
stood  proudly  erect  and  majestic  on  the  barren  sand-hills, 
looking,  as  it  were,  with  a  friendly  eye  upon  the  vessels  in 
the  offing,  warning  them  of  their  danger,  or  inviting  them  to 
approach,  was  hailed  by  the  crew  of  the  Coriander  with  three 
hearty  cheers.  The  sight  inspired  them  with  vigor,  and  reno 
vated  their  failing  energies.  They  began  to  entertain  hopes 
that  all  their  toils  were  over,  and  that  they  should  soon  share 
the  comforts  of  the  landsman,  and  taste  the  fire-side  enjoy 
ments  of  life. 

There  is  hardly  any  sight  more  pleasant  to  the  sailor  than 
a  well-remembered  headland,  when  first  seen,  on  approaching 
home,  after  a  long  voyage,  and  a  beacon  or  light-house 
erected  on  the  spot  awakens  the  most  interesting  associations, 
and  gladdens  every  heart.  It  seems  to  assume  the  guise  of  a 
dear  friend,  and  is  the  bearer  of  joyful  tidings,  announcing  to 
the  wanderer  his  approach  to  his  native  shore,  and  giving  him 
a  hearty  greeting.  It  is  many  years  since  I  abandoned  the 
occupation  of  a  mariner  for  other  pursuits,  but  even  now, 
when,  travelling  on  the  sea-coast,  I  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  light 
house  in  the  distance,  my  heart  bounds  within  me,  and  I  gaze 
with  a  strange  delight  on  the  familiar  object,  with  its  coat 
of  dazzling  whiteness,  and  its  tapering,  cylindrical  form,  with 
the  lantern  on  its  summit,  the  faithful  monitor  to  the  wary 
navigator. 

When  the  Coriander  approached  the  north  side  of  Cape 
Cod  within  eight  or  ten  miles,  the  wind  died  away,  but  the 
heavens  looked  serene,  the  sea  was  smoother  than  it  had  been 
for  weeks,  and  everything,  apparently,  promised  a  speedy  and 
happy  termination  of  the  voyage.  Captain  Chestree  took 


140  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

advantage  of  this  favorable  opportunity  to  get  the  anchors  in 
readiness  to  let  go,  and  a  range  of  the  cables  overhauled ; 
and,  aware  that  he  had  not  yet  reached  a  snug  harbor,  and 
that  "  there  is  many  a  slip  between  the  cup  and  the  lip,"  he 
caused  some  repairs  to  be  made  in  the  running-rigging,  some 
blocks,  that  had  been  split  by  the  ice,  to  be  replaced,  a  fore- 
topmast  backstay,  which  was  ascertained  to  be  stranded,  to 
be  knotted.  Desirous,  also,  of  being  able  to  carry  a  good  press 
of  canvas,  if  the  wind  should  become  fair,  to  enable  him  to 
reach  his  port  before  another  gale  should  arise,  he  had  the 
main-top-gallant  yard  sent  aloft,  and  studding-sail  booms 
shipped  on  the  fore-yard,  so  that  if  he  should  be  favored  with 
a  light  air  from  the  eastward,  he  might  carry  topmast  and 
lower  studding-sails. 

When  the  sun  sunk  down  in  the  west  that  evening,  the 
sky  was  not  obscured  with  a  single  cloud.  But  the  heavens, 
especially  in  the  western  horizon,  exhibited  that  dull,  yellow 
ish,  brassy  appearance,  which,  although  it  ordinarily  causes 
no  apprehension  to  the  mind  of  the  inexperienced  mariner, 
whispers  to  the  man  who  has  watched  the  signs  of  the  weather 
with  eagerness  for  years,  that  the  calm  is  deceitful,  and  the 
elements  will  soon  be  again  in  wild  commotion. 

That  evening  the  crew  of  the  Coriander  were  seated 
around  their  kid  of  beef,  washing  down  their  coarse  fare  with 
a  pot  of  coffee,  when  Bob  Haskell,  with  a  smile,  remarked, 
"  Well,  my  hearties,  we  have  been  knocking  about  at  a  great 
rate,  for  a  fortnight  past,  and  I  suppose  that  all  of  us  would 
be  glad  to  be  safe-anchored  in  port.  There  's  no  fun  in  com 
ing  on  the  winter's  coast,  after  all." 

"Not  the  least,"  replied  Jack  Riddle,  holding  up  his  left 
hand,  and  displaying  his  swollen,  frost-bitten  fingers.  "  I 
would  rather  remain  a  week  on  the  equinoctial  line,  than 
the  whole  month  of  January  in  the  waters  which  wash  Cape 
Cod." 


A  TALE  OF  THE  WINTER'S  COAST.  1-41 

14  Never  mind,"  said  Silas  Switchell,  jumping  up  and  cut 
ting  a  pigeon-wing,  "we  are  within  forty  miles  of  Boston  light, 
at  least,  and  it  will  be  a  hard  case  if  we  don't  get  safe  along 
side  Central  Wharf  before  to-morrow  night.  A  breeze  will 
soon  spring  up,  boys  ;  and  then,  pack  on  the  muslin,  and  hey, 
for  Boston  bay  !  " 

Old  Bill  Stubshot,  who  had  been  quietly  listening  to  these 
remarks,  shook  his  head.  "  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  lads,  we  are 
not  moored  yet,  and  I  'm  afraid  we  shall  have  another  flurry 
before  we  reach  port.  I  never  knew  it  fail  in  all  my  going  to 
sea,  man  and  boy,  for  thirty-one  years,  that  when  I  dreamed 
of  horses  or  women,  racing  about,  a  terrible  gale  was  sure  to 
follow  within  eighteen  hours." 

"Well,"  anxiously  inquired  Jack  Riddle,  "  have  you  dreamed 
about  any  such  animals  to-day  ?  " 

"  In  the  morning  watch,"  replied  Old  Bill,  with  all  the 
gravity  of  a  Delphic  Oracle,  "  I  dreamed  that  I  saw  at  least 
a  dozen  girls,  frightened  out  of  their  senses,  their  hair  stream 
ing  behind  them  like  a  burgee  signal,  and  running  for  their 
lives,  chased  by  a  troop  of  wild  horses,  which  were  close  upon 
their  heels  !  Now,  shipmates,"  continued  Bill,  "  if  a  dream 
about  either  horses  or  women  running  "about  is  always  fol 
lowed  by  bad  weather  within  eighteen  hours,  what  must  we 
expect  when  I  have  dreamed  such  a  dream  about  horses  and 
women  both  ?  Mark  my  words,  lads,  we  are  going  to  have  a 
real  sisserara  !  " 

Some  of  these  bold  mariners  looked  thoughtfully  at  this 
prediction,  but  Silas  carelessly  remarked,  "  Why,  Bill,  if  it 's 
going  to  blow,  it  will  blow,  and  we  shall  soon  find  it  out. 
But  it 's  folly  to  borrow  trouble ;  and  I  pity  the  man  who, 
with  plenty  of  sea-room,  is  ever  fancying  he  sees  breakers 
ahead.  I  've  no  faith  in  your  dream,  Bill.  Women  !  pshaw  ! 
I  've  dreamed  about  them  every  night  for  a  whole  voyage,  and 
I  am  always  glad  to  have  such  dreams.  While  the  dear 


142  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

creatures  are  hovering  around  my  head,  even  in  imagination, 
I  always  feel  sure  that  no  evil  is  impending.  Your  dream  is 
all  nonsense,  Bill.  I  '11  bet  any  man  a  good  dinner  of  beef 
steak  and  onions  —  and  my  mouth  waters  at  the  thought  of  it 
—  that  we  shall  be  inside  of  Boston  light-house  before  eight 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning.  Yes,  perhaps  before  twelve  o'clock 
to-night." 

"  Well,  well,  my  boy,"  said  old  Bill,  "  the  Lord  send  that 
it  may  be  so.  But  it 's  useless  to  talk  any  more  about  it." 

While  this  scene  was  going  on  in  the  forecastle,  Captain 
Chestree  was  pacing  the  quarter-deck  with  hasty  strides,  cast 
ing  an  anxious  glance,  ever  and  anon,  around  the  horizon.  He 
felt  by  no  means  easy  in  regard  to  the  weather.  The  new 
moon  looked  strange  and  portentous,  and  was  surrounded  by 
a  livid  halo  ;  his  barometer  also  told  him,  in  language  which 
could  not  be  mistaken,  that  a  very  considerable  change  in  the 
weather  would  soon  take  place. 

About  eight  o'clock  the  haze  began  rapidly  to  increase  ; 
the  stars,  one  by  one,  disappeared,  and  a  strange  darkness 
overspread  the  whole  face  of  heaven,  like  a  funeral  pall. 
The  clouds  did  not  seem  to  rise  from  any  particular  quarter, 
but  were  created,  as  it  were,  by  some  magic  power,  in  oppo 
sition  to  the  recognized  laws  of  nature.  Not  a  breath  of 
wind  disturbed  the  surface  of  the  deep,  and  the  light  on  the 
highlands  of  Truro,  surrounded  by  a  lurid  haze,  threw  its  dim 
and  uncertain  rays  across  the  waters. 

It  was  about  half-past  eight  o'clock,  when  a  light  air, 
gentle  as  a  zephyr,  was  felt  from  the  eastward.  The  ship 
was  put  before  the  wind,  the  sails  were  properly  trimmed, 
and  the  main  top-gallant-sail  set.  Under  ordinary  circum 
stances,  it  is  probable  that  Captain  Chestree  would  hardly 
have  ventured  to  run  into  the  bay,  while  the  weather  looked 
so  threatening ;  for  all  sailors  have  an  involuntary  dread  of  a 
lee-shore  in  a  gale  of  wind.  But  he  had  been  a  long  time  at 


A   TALE   OF    THE    WINTER'S    COAST.  ]43 

sea,  his  provisions  were  getting  short,  his  sails  were  in  bad 
condition,  hi*  standing  rigging  was  stranded  in  several  places, 
the  ship  leaked  badly  in  heavy  weather,  two  of  "his  crew  were 
severely  frost-bitten,  and  unable  to  move  about  the  decks,  and 
others  had  been  dealt  with  very  severely  by  the  spirit  of  the 
north  ;  all  of  them  were  nearly  worn  out  with  toil,  watching 
and  suffering.  He,  therefore,  thought  himself  justified  in 
risking  something  to  reach  his  destined  port ;  and,  being  sure 
of  his  position,  when  the  first  symptoms  of  a  breeze  were  man 
ifested,  he  determined  to  run  for  Boston  harbor,  hoping  to  see 
Boston  light  before  the  storm  commenced,  and  run  into  Xan- 
tasket  roads. 

The  wind  was  baffling  for  a  time,  and  it  seemed  uncertain 
at  which  point  it  would  ultimately  become  fixed.  But  by  nine 
o'clock  it  was  blowing  a  stiff  breeze  from  north-east,  and  the 
Coriander,  under  whole  sail,  was  running  along  at  the  rate  of 
six  or  seven  knots  an  hour.  The  wind  increased  rapidly,  and 
came  in  squalls,  as  if  it  were  in  earnest,  and  a  few  flakes  of 
snow  began  to  fall  occasionally,  the  sure  forerunner  of  a  driv 
ing  snow-storm. 

"This  comes  on  faster  than  I  expected,"  said  Captain 
Chestree  to  Mr.  Stanchell,  the  chief  mate.  "But  in  one  hour 
more,  unless  it  should  prove  extremely  thick,  we  shall  make 
Boston  light,  and  then  in  an  hour  and  a  half  we  shall  be  in  a 
safe  anchorage.  But,  Mr.  Stanchell,  the  wind  increases.  We 
will  furl  that  main  top-gallant  sail." 

The  sail  was  taken  in,  and  it  soon  became  necessary  to 
take  a  couple  of  reefs  in  the  topsails.  The  main-sail  was  also 
handed  after  a  severe  trial,  and  the  spanker  was  reefed  to  be 
ready  to  set  in  case  it  should  become  necessary  to  haul  to  the 
wind.  The  gale  began  to  come  in  fierce  and  chilly  blasts, 
and  the  air  became  thicker  with  the  driving  snow.  It  was  a 
critical  time.  Chestree  realized  to  its  full  extent  the  respon 
sibility  of  his  situation ;  but  whatever  he  might  have  felt,  he 


144  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

manifested  by  his  language  or  demeanor,  no  alarm  or  anxiety. 
All  hands  were  on  deck,  and,  having  full  confidence  in  the  judg 
ment  and  skill  of  their  captain,  calmly  awaited  the  result.  At 
a  few  minutes  past  twelve  o'clock,  one  of  the  men  froni  the 
fore-topsail  yard  cried  out,  "  Light  ho  !  right  ahead  !  " 

The  helmsman  was  then  steering  west-north-west.  "  Keep 
her  up,  north-west  and  by  west,"  cried  Captain  Chestree  ;  and 
he  added,  addressing  Mr.  Stanchell,  "  we  have  had  a  strong 
current  setting  to  the  southward." 

The  light  was  hardly  visible  from  the  deck,  and,  owing  to 
the  density  of  the  atmosphere,  it  could  not  be  seen  then  at  a 
greater  distance  than  ten  or  twelve  miles.  But  in  a  few  min 
utes  it  became  totally  obscured  by  a  furious  snow-squall ;  the 
wind  hauled  a  couple  of  points  to  the  northward,  and  rapidly 
increased  to  a  terrific  gale,  with  a  short  and  a  dangerous  sea. 
The  Coriander  was  at  this  time  under  double-reefed  topsails 
and  foresail ;  but  Captain  Chestree  ordered  the  fore  and  main 
topsail  halliards  to  be  let  go,  and  the  mizzen  topsail  to  be 
clued  up.  But  before  a  rope  could  be  started,  the  weather 
fore-topsail  sheet  parted  near  the  clue,  and  the  sail,  after  a 
few  heavy  flaps,  was  forced  from  the  boltrope,  and  seen  no 
more ! 

The  ship,  being  loaded  deep,  was  steered  with  some  diffi 
culty  in  a  fresh  breeze,  going  large  ;  and  usually  carried,  at 
such  times,  a  strong  weather  helm ;  but  the  loss  of  the  fore- 
topsail,  and  the  increased  violence  of  the  wind,  caused  her  to 
broach  to  suddenly,  until  the  sails,  after  being  shaken  with 
tremendous  violence,  were  nearly  taken  aback.  It  was  now 
that  the  want  of  a  sufficient  and  active  crew  was  felt.  But 
one  thing  could  be  done  at  a  time,  when  many  things  were 
required  to  be  done  immediately.  The  mizzen-topsail  was 
clued  up  with  all  possible  despatch  ;  then  -the  fore-yard 
was  braced  well  up,  and  the  ship,  the  helm  being  hard  up  all 


A    TALE    OF    THE    WINTER'S    COAST.  145 

the  while,  gathered  head-way  and  fell  off,  until  her  sails 
were  full. 

The  snow  now  fell  fast  and  furious  ;  the  wind  howled 
mournfully  among  the  ropes,  and  the  spray  and  the  seas  inun 
dated  the  decks.  The  light,  of  course,  could  no  longer  be 
seen ;  nor  could  it,  had  it  been  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of 
the  bows  of  the  ship ;  and,  in  consequence  of  the  mishap, 
which  had  just  occurred,  the  true  bearing  of  the  light  was  no 
longer  known.  Captain  Chestree  now  felt  compelled  to  relin 
quish  his  bold  project  of  running  for  the  entrance  of  Boston 
bay.  He  felt  that  the  risk  was  altogether  too  great,  and 
that  it  would  be  folly  or  madness  to  attempt  it.  In  a  clear 
voice,  he  called  to  his  men  to  be  active,  and  summon  all  their 
energies  to  their  aid,  for  that  their  lives  depended  on  prompt 
obedience  to  his  orders.  His  object  now  was  to  carry  sail 
on  a  wind,  as  long  as  possible,  to  keep  off  the  lee  shore. 

To  the  double-reefed  main-topsail,  whole  foresail,  and 
fore-topmast  staysail,  he  added  the  main-spencer ;  and  the 
old  ship,  careering  to  the  blast,  until  the  main-yard  arm 
nearly  touched  the  seas,  creaked  and  groaned  as  she  was  thus 
driven  along  through  the  water,  heading  up  as  high  as  north 
west  by  north,  and  north-north-west.  But  Captain  Chestree 
knew  that  he  could  not  stand  long  on  that  tack  ;  that,  if  the 
wind  continued,  it  would  soon  be  necessary  to  wear  ship ; 
that,  in  the  mean  time,  she  was  making  much  lee-way,  and 
drifting  rapidly  to  leeward.  It  may  be  interesting  to  con 
sider  the  situation  in  which  the  Coriander  was  now  placed. 

She  was  in  the  bay,  at  probably  about  eight  or  nine  miles 
from  Boston  light-house,  which  edifice  bore  from  west  to  west 
by  north,  at  this  time.  To  the  northward  lay  the  whole  iron- 
bound  coast,  from  Cape  Ann  to  Baker's  Island,  and  other 
islands  off  Salem  harbor,  and  the  bold  and  rocky  promontory 
of  Marblehead,  which  last  was  not  more  than  ten  miles  off, 
bearing  nearly  north-west.  Still  nearer,  and  a  couple  of 
13 


146  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

points  under  the  lee,  were  the  rocky  shores  of  Nahant,  and 
the  cluster  of  dark  and  savage-looking  rocks  called  the 
Graves,  over  which,  in  an  easterly  gale,  the  breakers  roll 
with  tremendous  force.  On  her  lee  beam  were  the  islands 
at  the  mouth  of  Boston  harbor,  and  the  fearful  shoals  off 
Point  Alderton,  and  Nantasket  beach ;  and  still  further  to 
the  southward,  the  sunken  rocks  called  the  Hardings.  About 
six  or  seven  miles  in  a  direction  nearly  south  were  the  Co- 
hasset  rocks,  lying  some  miles  from  the  main  land,  and  justly 
dreaded  by  mariners.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Corian 
der  was,  indeed,  in  a  perilous  situation.  She  was  heading 
directly  for  the  land,  with  fearful  dangers  ahead  and  under 
her  lee,  towards  which  she  was  hastening  at  the  rate  of  two 
or  three  knots. 

Captain  Chestree  thought  he  would  stand  on  with  his 
starboard  tacks  on  board  for  a  half  hour  longer ;  for  if  he 
wore  ship  at  once,  he  should  hardly  be  able  to  clear  Oohas- 
set  rocks,  on  the  other  tack ;  and  he  thought  it  not  likely 
that  the  wind  would  blow  any  harder ;  for  he  had  already 
got  the  whole  force  of  an  old-fashioned  north-east  snow 
storm. 

That  was  a  terrible  night  in  the  bay.  On  board  the 
Coriander,  which  vessel  was  nobly  struggling  with  the  waves, 
as  if  her  existence  depended  on  her  efforts,  the  crew  were 
grouped  on  the  after  part  of  the  quarter-deck,  shivering  with 
the  cold,  and  feeling  not  altogether  comfortable  in  other  re 
spects.  "  Well,  my  lad,"  said  Bill  Stubshot  to  Silas  Switchell, 
"  what  do  you  think  now  ?  Will  you  believe  an  old  sailor 
another  time,  —  one  who  went  to  sea  long  before  you  wore 
jacket  and  trousers  ?  Hey  !  " 

"  You  are  an  old  Jonas,"  exclaimed  Silas,  "  with  your  non 
sense  about  women  and  horses,  and  I  think  it  would  be  a  good 
plan  to  give  you  a  toss  overboard,  for  a  fair  wind  and  pleasant 
weather  ! " 


A    TALE   OF    THE    WINTER'S   COAST.  147 

"  Wait  a  bit,"  said  old  Bill,  "  and  there  will  be  no  occasion 
to  throw  me  overboard.  I  may  get  there  without  your  assist 
ance,  and  find  myself  with  some  company,  too." 

"  Come,  none  of  that,"  replied  Silas  ;  "  we  are  in  a  bad 
scrape,  I  allow — bad  enough;  but  the  'old  man'  will  bring 
us  safe  out  of  it ;  let  him  alone  for  that." 

Captain  Chestree  now  thought  he  would  try  to  get  the 
ship  round  on  the  other  tack.  It  was  a  dimcult  undertaking, 
and,  if  delayed,  it  would  be  too  late  —  there  would  not  be  room 
to  wear.  But,  if  he  should  be  so  fortunate  as  to  succeed  in 
the  manoeuvre,  and  get  his  sails  well  trimmed,  he  should  have 
a  good  drift,  and,  if  the  wind  should  lull,  might  be  able  *o 
weather  Cohasset  Rocks.  He  accordingly  resolved  to  make 
the  attempt. 

The  main-spencer  was  taken  in,  and  the  helm  was  put 
hard  up  ;  the  ship,  however,  fell  off  but  slowly,  and  when 
manning  the  weather  main-brace  to  shiver  the  main-topsail, 
the  rope  slipped  from  the  belaying-pin,  the  yard  was  forced 
fore-and-aft,  and  snapped  short  off  in  the  slings  !  The  sail, 
of  course,  after  a  few  heavy  flaps,  was  reduced  to  ribbons  ! 
The  ship  now  fell  off  rapidly.  When  before  the  wind,  the 
fore  clue-garnets  were  hauled  up,  and  the  yard  braced  round  ; 
but,  in  the  act  of  getting  down  the  larboard  fore-tack,  a 
furious  gust  came  and  split  the  foresail,  which,  in  a  few  min 
utes,  was  in  the  condition  of  the  main-topsail ! 

The  ship,  however,  was  brought  to  the  wind,  but  Captain 
Chestree  no  longer  entertained  hopes  of  weathering  the  South 
Shore,  or  Cohasset  Hocks,  for  the  wind  was  fixed  between 
north-east,  and  east-north-east,  and  now  being  able  to  carry 
but  little  sail,  the  ship  was  drifting  fast,  almost  dead  to  lee 
ward.  The  main-spencer  and  spanker  were  set,  to  keep  her 
up  to  the  wind ;  but  the  mainsail  got  loose,  having  been  blown 
from  the  gaskets,  and  baffled  all  the  attempts  of  the  crew  to 
furl  it.  The  ship  was  thus  lying  in  the  trough  of  the  sea, 


148  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

lurching  heavily ;  the  short  and  combing  waves  were  washing 
across  her  decks,  and  a  dangerous  shore  was  but  a  few  miles 
under  the  lee,  towards  which  they  were  rapidly  drifting. 

"  Mr.  Stanchell,"  said  Captain  Chestree,  "  the  gale  blows 
as  hard  as  ever,  and  will,  undoubtedly,  continue  through  the 
night.  The  attempt  to  keep  off  shore,  with  our  sails,  will  be 
useless.  Unless  something  is  done  to  prevent  it,  we  shall  be 
among  the  breakers  in  less  than  an  hour,  when  the  lives  of  all 
on  board,  and  the  vessel  and  cargo,  will  inevitably  be  lost. 
Therefore  we  '11  go  to  work  with  a  will,  and  cut  away  the 
masts,  and  bring  the  ship  to  an  anchor  !  " 

"  What  did  you  say,  sir  ?  "  inquired  the  mate.  "  Cut  away 
the  masts,  and  bring  the  ship  to  an  anchor,  here  in  the  middle 
of  the  bay  ? " 

"  To  be  sure !  It  is  our  only  alternative.  If  she  rides 
out  the  gale,  the  loss  will  be  comparatively  trifling,  when  we 
take  into  consideration  the  valuable  cargo,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  lives  which  will  be  saved.  And  if  she  drags  her  anchors, 
and  goes  ashore  after  all,  we  shall  be  no  worse  off  than  we 
should  be  without  making  the  attempt.  But  we  have  good 
ground-tackling,  and  shall  now  see  the  advantage  of  it.  It 
will  save  us  from  shipwreck.  Get  all  ready  to  cut  away  the 
masts  ! " 

The  crew  appeared  utterly  exhausted  by  their  exposure 
to  the  inclement  weather,  and  their  constant  exertions  to  exe 
cute  the  orders  of  their  commander.  But  when  they  heard 
the  order  issued  to  cut  away  the  masts,  —  an  order  never  given 
except  in  cases  of  extremity,  —  they  seemed  inspired  with  re 
newed  vigor  and  energy  to  meet  the  important  occasion. 

When  sitting  in  a  pleasant  room,  warmed  by  a  furnace, 
or  a  good  anthracite  coal  fire,  with  all  the  comforts  of  life 
around  us,  this  act  of  cutting  away  the  masts  of  a  ship,  in  a 
gale  of  wind,  appears  to  be  a  very  simple  and  feasible  opera 
tion.  This,  however,  is  not  the  case.  It  is  an  operation 


A    TALE   OF    THE    WINTER'S    COAST.  149 

which  must  be  conducted  with  skill  and  courage,  and  is  always 
attended  with  great  difficulty  and  danger.  The  harassed 
crew  of  the  Coriander,  led  on  by  their  officers,  undertook  the 
work,  and,  fortunately,  accomplished  it  without  the  loss  of 
lives  or  limbs. 

The  weather  laniards  of  the  shrouds  and  backstays  were 
cut  away,  and  the  masts  fell,  one  after  the  other,  breaking  off 
just  above  the  deck.  The  fore-and-aft  stays  and  lee  rigging 
were  then  cut  away,  and  the  ship,  which  had  been  kept  a 
little  off  the  wind,  and  was  surging  ahead  at  the  time,  after 
giving  the  wreck  a  few  hard  thumps,  fortunately  got  clear  of 
it,  and  then  lay  like  an  unresisting  log  in  the  water  ! 

The  bower  anchors  were  in  readiness  to  let  go,  and  ranges 
of  the  cables  overhauled.  The  stream  cable  was  also  bent  to 
a  large  stream  anchor,  and  even  the  hawser  was  attached  to 
the  kedge,  for  Captain  Chestree  was  determined  to  get  a 
strong  hold  on  the  bottom,  if  possible. 

The  lead  was  now  thrown,  and  the  depth  of  water  was 
found  to  be  twenty-five  fathoms.  "  We  will  hold  on  a  little, 
until  we  shoalen  our  water,"  said  Captain  Chestree. 

The  situation  of  the  men  on  board  of  that  unmanageable 
hulk  during  the  interval  between  cutting  away  the  spars  and 
letting  go  the  anchors,  was  not  an  enviable  one.  They 
were  grouped  together  on  the  quarter-deck,  standing  knee- 
deep  in  water,  with  the  spray  dashing  over  them,  and  exposed 
to  all  the  disagreeable  effects  of  an  old-fashioned  north-east 
snow-storm;  a  dangerous  coast  stretched  along  under  their 
lee,  upon  which,  if  they  were  cast,  destruction  was  their  inev 
itable  doom.  Yet,  if  the  countenances  of  those  men  had  been 
examined  at  that  time,  they  would  have  exhibited  no  symp 
toms  of  fear.  Some  traces  of  thought  and  of  suffering  might 
be  seen,  but  nothing  of  craven  spirit  —  nothing  which  denoted 
an  abandonment  of  hope.  Indeed,  one  would  have  supposed, 
from  their  composed  feature?  and  their  conversation  with 


150  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

each  other,  and  the  promptness  with  which  they  executed  or 
replied  to  any  commands  of  their  officers,  that  they  did  not 
realize  the  perils  of  their  situation.  Still,  some  of  that  little 
gallant  band  may  have  cherished  solemn  thoughts  at  that 
time,  and  have  sought  successfully  to  fortify  their  hearts 
against  adversity  and  peril,  by  mentally  addressing  a  fervent 
prayer  to  the  Almighty. 

The  storm  raged  fiercely  around  them,  and  the  conflict 
was  terrible  between  the  winds  and  the  waves ;  but  soon  an 
awful  sound  was  heard,  at  a  distance,  above  the  roaring  of 
the  elements,  and  the  fearful  cry  of  "  Breakers  !  "  burst  from 
the  lips  of  the  crew. 

"  Now,"  exclaimed  Chestree,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  "  cut 
away  the  anchors  from  the  bow  !  " 

The  shank  painters  and  stoppers  were  severed ;  the  cables 
ran  out  through  the  hawse-holes  with  incredible  velocity,  nor 
could  they  be  checked  by  any  deck-stoppers,  until  they  were 
brought  up  by  a  clinch  around  the  foremast,  the  lower  part 
of  which  was  still  standing.  The  stream  anchor  and  the 
kedge  were  also  let  go,  but  the  ship  continued  to  drive  towards 
the  shore,  and  seemed  reluctant  to  come  head  to  the  wind ; 
meanwhile,  the  sound  of  breakers  under  the  lee  became  more 
distinct,  and  was  calculated  to  strike  terror  into  the  heart  of 
any  man,  except  an  intrepid  sailor. 

It  was  ascertained  by  the  lead  that  they  were  in  fourteen 
fathoms  of  water !  "  Never  mind,"  said  Captain  Chestree, 
quietly,  "  she  will  soon  bring  up,  now  !  As  we  shoalen  our 
water,  the  anchors  will  catch,  and  hold  on,  too." 

And  so  it  proved.  In  nine  fathoms  of  water,  the  ship 
swung  head  to  the  wind,  and  the  anchors  retained  their  hold 
of  the  bottom.  The  gale  was  now  regular,  but  although  the 
ship  pitched  heavily,  and  the  seas  sometimes  came  in  over 
the  bows,  and  swept  fore  and  aft  the  deck,  yet  so  little  sur 
face  was  presented  for  the  wind  to  act  upon,  that,  albeit  the 


A    TALE    OF    THE    WINTER'S    COAST. 


151 


holding-ground  was  not  remarkably  good,  the  Coriander  rode 
at  her  anchors  in  safety.  And  now  the  captain  felt  that  he 
had  resorted  to  the  last  expedient  to  save  the  ship,  that  noth 
ing  more  remained  for  him  to  do.  He  put  his  trust  in  Prov 
idence,  and,  with  Christian  resignation,  calmly  awaited  the 
result. 


a 


It  was  about  half-past  three  o'clock,  on  the  moriiiug  ot 
the  first  day  of  January,  that  the  ship  began  to  ride  safely  at 
her  anchors.  The  gale  continued  through  the  remainder  of 
the  night,  without  any  abatement,  and  it  may  easily  be  con 
ceived  that,  to  the  crew,  stiff,  weary,  and  cold,  serenaded,  too, 
by  the  dashing  of  the  foaming  waves  on  the  beach,  or  against 
the  rocks,  the  hours  until  daylight  seemed  interminably  long. 
They  knew  that  if  either  of  the  bower  cables  should  part,  or 


152  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

again  relinquish  their  hold  of  the  ground,  no  human  power 
could  save  them  from  destruction.  But,  even  in  this  unen 
viable  situation,  a  portion  of  the  crew,  coiled  away  among 
some  trunks  and  barrels  in  the  steerage,  courted  "  tired  Na 
ture's  sweet  restorer,"  sleep  !  Bill  Stubshot  even  forgot  him 
self  so  far  as  to  snore,  much  to  the  indignation  of  Silas 
Switchell,  who  gave  him  a  furious  punch  in  the  ribs.  "  You 
unlucky  old  wretch  !  "  said  Silas,  "  you  want  to  be  dreaming 
again,  I  suppose.  But,  as  sure  as  my  name  is  Switchell,  you 
shan't  have  another  chance  to  dream  about  horses  and  women, 
if  we  are  out  six  months  longer !  " 

Daylight  now  broke  in  the  east,  and  gladdened  the  hearts 
of  the  crew ;  for  it  must  be  confessed  that  darkness  adds  to  the 
inconvenience  of  a  storm  at  sea,  and  greatly  increases  the 
perils  of  a  lee  shore.  It  is  recorded  of  Ajax,  the  famous 
Grecian  warrior,  that  he  had  a  great  dislike  to  darkness;  he 
wanted  to  see  his  foe ;  and  many  a  bold  seaman  can  well 
appreciate  his  feelings,  when  he  utters  the  following  prayer : 


Lord  of  Earth,  and  Air  ! 


0,  King  !  0,  Father  !     Hear  my  humble  prayer  ; 
Dispel  this  cloud,  the  light  of  Heaven  restore  ; 
Give  me  to  see,  and  Ajax  asks  no  more  ! 
If  Greece  must  perish,  we  thy  will  obey  ; 
But  let  us  perish  in  the  face  of  day." 

After  sunrise  the  wind  began  to  moderate,  and  the  snow 
storm  abated.  The  crew  felt  that  they  were  saved  ;  but  some 
hours  elapsed  before  they  were  able  to  see  the  breakers  and 
the  land  astern. 

It  was  about  nine  o'clock,  when  the  clouds  broke  away, 
the  snow  and  the  mist  were  no  longer  seen ;  but  the  whole 
extent  of  coast  was  visible,  from  Point  Alderton  to  Cohasset, 
against  which  the  waves  were  dashing  with  a  fury  and  a 
madness  which  it  is  impossible  to  describe.  The  dismasted 
ship  was  riding  at  anchor,  about  half  way  between  the  Hard- 


A    TALE    OF   THE    WINTER'S   COAST.  153 

ings  and  Cohasset  rocks.  The  next  day,  the  wind  hauled  to 
the  southward,  and  the  weather  was  pleasant.  The  Corian 
der  was  towed  into  Boston  in  safety. 

She  was  a  good  ship,  although  deeply  laden,  with  clear 
decks,  not  lumbered  up  with  round-houses,  hurricane-houses, 
poops,  or  any  incumbrances  so  common  in  these  days.  She 
had  an  experienced  and  skilful  captain,  and  an  active  and 
willing  crew.  Her  sails  and  rigging  were  in  good  condition, 
and  she  was  well  found  in  every  respect.  And  yet  the 
sufferings  and  perils  which  the  crew  of  that  ship  encountered 
on  the  "  winter's  coast,"  were  of  a  character  which  might  well 
appal  the  stoutest  heart. 

The  masters  of  our  ships  are  generally  skilful  seamen, 
and  cool  and  collected  in  the  moment  of  danger.  There  are 
exceptions,  however.  And  what  must  be  the  condition  and 
fate  of  vessels  bound  into  Boston  Bay,  during  heavy  weather 
in  the  winter,  —  and  we  have  many  such,  —  whose  decks  are 
lumbered  with  houses  and  wigwams  of  every  description, 
whose  sails  and  rigging  are  tattered  and  old,  whose  crews  are 
weak,  discontented,  and  subject  to  no  discipline,  whose  pro 
visions  and  water  are  nearly  exhausted,  and  whose  commanders, 
deficient  in  skill,  courage,  and  energy,  cannot  command  the 
confidence  or  respect  of  their  crews;  and,  perhaps,  although 
habitually  temperate,  resort  on  such  a  dreadful  emergency  to 
the  bottle,  expecting  to  find  in  its  contents  not  only  a  solace 
in  danger,  but  wisdom  and  courage  ! 


• 


SEA   DOGS. 

"  One  that  I  saved  from  drowning,  when  three  or  four  of  his  blind 
brothers  and  sisters  went  to  it.  I  have  taught  him  even  as  one  would 
eay  precisely,  'Thus  I  would  teach  a  dog.'  "  —  SHAKSPEARE. 


THE  brig  Sjlphide,  an  ungainly,  clumsy-looking  craft,  with 
a  run  like  a  Dutch  galliot's,  was  once  bound  home  from  St. 
Ubes,  with  a  cargo  of  salt,  in  the  fall  of  the  year.  Off  the 
Western  Islands  she  encountered  a  severe  gale,  and  lay  to 
under  close-reefed  main-topsail.  She  was  deeply  laden,  and 
was  as  lifeless  as  a  log  in  the  water,  and  the  sea  made  a  fair 


SEA   DOGS.  155 

breach  over  her.  For  two  days  there  was  no  such  thing  as 
cooking  on  board,  although  the  "  doctor  "  tried  hard  to  boil  a 
piece  of  junk ;  but  the  sea  had  stove  in  the  sides  of  the 
galley,  and  all  his  labors  were  fruitless.  The  lads  in  the 
forecastle  were  consequently  rather  badly  off  for  grub ;  but,  to 
make  up  for  it,  they  were  pretty  well  soaked  with  salt  water, 
for  on  deck  the  brig  was  a  sheet  .of  spray  from  stem  to  stern  ; 
and  the  forecastle,  —  their  home,  their  dwelling-place,  their 
house  of  refuge,  their  castle,  —  resembled  a  shower-bath,  con 
structed  on  the  most  approved  principles.  This  was  rather 
tough,  to  be  sure ;  but  the  "  old  salts  "  did  not  seem  to  mind  it 
much ;  they  consumed  a  double  allowance  of  the  "  filthy 
weed,"  and  bore  their  trials  like  true  philosophers.  A  young 
fellow  onboard,  however, — a  green  hand,  who  had  never  been 
out  of  sight  of  land  before  that  voyage,  —  was  disposed  to 
mourn  over  his  unhappy  lot,  and,  while  the  snlt  water  trickled 
down  his  back,  the  salt  tears  trickled  down  his  cheeks,  and  he 
solemnly  declared,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  heart,  that,  if  Prov 
idence  would  allow  him  to  reach  his  home  once  more,  he 
would  never  again  tempt  his  fate  on  the  seas,  but  would  rest 
contented  in  his  own  dear  home,  where  he  could  always  find 
plenty  of  good  provision,  kind  friends,  and  pleasant  weather ; 
where  there  was  no  reefing  topsails,  sending  down  top-gallant 
yards,  or  lying  to  in  the  trough  of  the  sea  in  a  gale  of  wind. 
Poor  fellow  !  the  "  sailor  was  killed  "  within  him. 

On  the  third  day,  the  wind  abated  a  little,  and  the  sea 
became  more  regular,  and,  after  a  hard  trial,  the  cook  suc 
ceeded  in  keeping  a  fire  in  his  galley  long  enough  to  boil  a 
piece  of  beef  for  the  men,  and  make  a  stew  of  a  half-drowned 
chicken  for  the  cabin.  In  due  time  the  beef  was  deposited  in 
the  "  kid,"  and  the  men,  with  eager  appetites  and  well- 
sharpened  jack-knives,  were  about  to  fall  to,  when  the  captain, 
who,  at  that  unlucky  moment,  poked  his  head  above  the  com 
panion-way,  called  out  to  them  to  take  a  pull  at  the  weather 


156  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

fore  and  preventer  main-braces.  His  orders  were  obeyed ; 
and  after  the  ropes  were  coiled  up,  the  famished  crew  were 
about  proceeding  to  discuss  the  beef,  when,  to  their  great 
astonishment,  perplexity  and  dismay,  it  had  disappeared. 
An  old  vagabond  cur,  named  Faithful,  who  was  kept  on  board 
by  the  captain,  for  no  earthly  reason,  it  would  appear,  unless 
for  his  gaunt  and  ugly  appearance  and  thievish  propensities, 
had  watched  with  looks  askant  the  delicious  morsel,  and  being 
two-thirds  starved,  had  seized  the  opportunity,  while  the  kid 
was  left  without  a  guard,  to  seize  the  beef,  smoking  hot,  as  it 
was,  and  bear  it  in  triumph  away  into  the  lee  scuppers, 
where,  while  the  water  was  washing  it  merrily  to  and  fro,  he 
was  deeply  engaged  in  tearing  off  liberal  portions  to  satisfy 
his  craving  appetite. 

Before  Faithful  had  got  well  engaged  in  this  culpable  and 
ungenerous  act,  he  was  discovered,  and  the  indignation  of  the 
crew  may  be  easily  imagined.  The  poor  dog  had  to  suffer ; 
handspikes,  capstan-bars,  billets  of  wood,  and  coils  of  rigging, 
were  showered  upon  the  culprit's  head,  and,  after  a  few  rather 
loud  notes  of  anger,  expostulation  and  pain,  he  relinquished 
his  prey,  and  retired,  yelping  and  limping,  into  the  darkest 
recesses  of  the  half  deck.  The  men  picked  up  the  beef,  which 
bore  the  marks  of  Faithful's  teeth,  but  it  was  too  compact, 
being  of  the  color,  and  nearly  of  the  consistency,  of  mahogany, 
to  be  torn  in  pieces  by  any  natural  machinery.  They  again 
ranged  themselves  around  the  kid,  and  entered  seriously  and 
earnestly  on  their  work ;  and  while  slice  after  slice  of  this 
main-stay  of  a  sailor's  diet  disappeared,  along  with  a  propor 
tionate  quantity  of  sea-biscuit,  which  had  seen  its  best  days, 
the  conversation  of  the  crew  naturally  fell  upon  the  subject 
of  dogs,  and  their  good  or  bad  qualities. 

"  For  my  part,"  said  Bob  Binnacle,  "  I  do  not  see  what 
Captain  Soundings  keeps  such  a  whelp  on  board  for.  He  's 
just  good  for  nothing,  except  to  rob  a  fellow  of  his  grub. 


SEA   DOGS.  157 

He  's  a  lazy,  ill-natured,  know-nothing  brute,  neither  a  watch 
dog  nor  a  water-dog.  If  I  had  my  way,  I  'd  rig  a  spritsail 
yard  across  his  bows,  and  give  him  a  sea  toss.  If  he 's  not 
missing  some  of  these  dark  nights,  I  lose  my  guess.  I  re 
member  that,  when  I  belonged  to  the  Aldebaran,  we  had  a 
dog  on  board  that  was  worth  his  weight  in  gold.  He  was 
honest,  and  well-behaved,  and  the  crew  all  loved  him  like  a 
brother,  and  would  have  divided  with  him  the  last  morsel  of 
their  allowance.  He  was  a  sensible  dog,  too,  and  knew  what 
was  going  on  as  well  as  any  man  in  the  ship.  I  really  believe 
he  could  understand  every  order  that  was  given.  One  day, 
while  we  were  crossing  the  Grand  Bank,  on  a  passage  from 
Liverpool  to  New  York,  Mr.  Gifford,  a  passenger,  was  amus 
ing  himself  in  trying  to  catch  some  of  the  hagdens  that  were 
flying  around,  by  a  line  and  hook,  baited  with  a  piece  of  pork. 
He,  very  foolishly,  got  into  the  lee  mizzen-chains,  when  the 
ship  gave  a  heavy  lurch,  and  threw  him  souse  into  the  water. 
At  that  moment  I  would  not  have  given  this  piece  of  junk  for 
his  life,  for  the  ship  was  running  off  with  the  wind  free,  eight 
or  nine  knots  ;  and  the  fog  was  so  thick  that  you  might  have 
almost  cut  it  with  a  knife.  But  Caesar  saw  Mr.  Gifford  fall 
overboard,  and,  quick  as  lightning,  sprang  upon  the  quarter- 
rail,  and  plunged  in  after  him.  The  captain  sung  out  '  Hard 
down  your  helm  !  back  the  main-topsail ! '  which  was  no 
sooner  said  than  done.  We  lowered  the  quarter-boat  as 
quickly  as  possible,  and  the  second  mate,  and  three  men 
beside  myself,  started  off  to  try  to  pick  the  poor  fellow  up. 
We  pulled  off  in  the  direction  of  the  wake  of  the  ship,  to  a 
considerable  distance,  but  were  unable  to  discover  anything 
that  looked  like  man  or  brute.  We  shouted,  but  no  answer 
was  returned.  We  were  about  going  back  to  the  ship,  whose 
position  we  knew  by  the  sound  of  the  bell,  which  they  kept 
ringing,  when  all  at  once  we  heard  the  stifled  whine  of  a  dog. 
*  That 's  Caesar,'  said  the  second  mate;  'give  way,  lads,  and 
14 


158  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

we  '11  save  them  yet.'  We  did  so,  and  after  pulling  about  for 
four  or  five  minutes,  guided  by  the  sound  of  Caesar's  voice,  we 
reached  the  spot  where  Mr.  Gifford  lay  almost  senseless  on 
the  surface  of  the  water,  sustained  by  Caesar,  who  had  fast 
hold  of  the  collar  of  his  coat.  They  were  both  of  them  nearly 
gone,  but  we  hauled  them  into  the  boat,  and,  after  a  pretty 
severe  pull,  we  reached  the  ship.  Mr.  Gifford  was  so  grate 
ful  to  Caesar  for  saving  his  life,  that  he  declared  nothing 
should  part  them,  and  offered  the  captain  any  sum  which  he 
asked  for  the  dog.  The  captain  said  that  he  would  not  sell 
him ;  but,  after  a  while,  when  he  found  that  Mr.  Gifford  had 
set  his  heart  on  having  Caesar,  he  generously  made  him  a 
present  of  him,  and  I've  no  doubt,"  added  Bob,  "that  Caesar 
has  lived  ever  since  upon  soft  tack  and  fresh  beef,  and  had 
nothing  to  do,  not  even  to  stand  a  dog  watch." 

"  Well,  Bob,"  said  Caleb  Capstan,  "  I  must  say  that  Caesar 
was  a  dog  worth  having ;  but  he  was  hardly  equal  to  a  dog 
named  Somno,  which  we  had  on  board  the  brig  Three  Deb- 
bies,  on  a  voyage  to  Havana.  He  was  the  best  watch-dog  I 
ever  saw ;  nobody  could  come  alongside  the  ship  without  his 
knowing  it.  In  the  day-time,  however,  Somno  was  quite 
peaceable,  and  although  he  sometimes  looked  rather  black  at 
the  savage-looking  Spaniards,  who  came  on  board,  he  showed 
no  wish  to  trouble  any  one,  thinking  probably  that  while  the 
sun  was  above  the  horizon,  we  could  look  out  for  ourselves. 
But  at  night,  when  the  captain  went  below,  after  having  told 
Somno  to  keep  a  good  look-out,  it  was  dangerous  for  strangers 
to  attempt  to  come  on  board.  Somno  would  eye  them  closely 
as  they  came  over  the  gangway  or  the  gunwale,  without  say 
ing  a  word ;  but  the  moment  their  feet  reached  the  deck,  he 
would  give  one  short,  quick,  loud,  angry  bark,  by  way  of 
alarm,  and  then,  without  offering  any  apology,  seize  the  in 
truder  fiercely  by  the  throat,  throw  him  to  the  deck,  and 
there  hold  him  until  somebody  came  to  give  him  a  spell,  or 


SEA  DOGS.  159 

until  another  stranger  appeared  entering  the  vessel,  when  he 
would  give  his  captive  a  severe  grip  of  the  windpipe,  and 
leave  him,  to  go  through  with  the  same  ceremonies  with  the 
last  comer. 

"  The  captain  had  a  quarrel  with  a  Spanish  gambler,  at  a 
billiard-table,  one  day,  and  gave  him  a  decent  threshing, 
which  he  undoubtedly  deserved,  but  for  which  the  cowardly 
rascal  threatened  to  take  his  life ;  and  it  was  owing  to  Sornno 
that  he  was  not  as  good  as  his  word.  The  captain,  when  on 
shore,  was  always  on  his  guard,  and  accompanied  by  friends ; 
and  the  bloody-minded  villain  resolved  to  have  him  assassi 
nated  in  his  berth,  and  sent  off,  for  four  successive  nights,  a 
hired  desperado,  to  do  what  he  -shad  not  the  courage  to  do 
himself.  Yes,  four  of  these  scoundrels  swam  on  board  on  four 
different  nights,  and  were  every  one  seized  by  Somno,  before 
they  could  do  any  mischief,  and  pinned  to  the  deck.  The 
captain  tied  their  hands  behind  them,  and  shoved  them  into 
the  run,  which  was  as  dark  as  a  shark's  mouth,  and  as  hot  as 
the  cook's  galley  in  a  calm  on  the  equator.  He  meant  to 
have  punished  them  a  little  in  this  way,  by  close  confinement 
and  a  short  allowance  of  grub,  and  to  have  set  them  on  shore 
when  ready  for  sea  ;  but,  unfortunately  for  them,  he  did  not 
order  them  to  be  searched,  and  the  day  before  we  were  ready 
for  sea,  they  managed  to  get  their  hands  loose,  and,  of  course, 
feeling  rather  cross  and  full  of  fight,  got  quarrelling  among 
themselves,  and  at  last  fell  foul  of  one  another  with  their 
knives  in  the  dark,  and  a  true  Spanish  affray  was  -the  conse 
quence.  When  the  scuttle  was  opened,  a  few  hours  after 
wards,  to  give  them  their  scanty  allowance  of  prog,  a  shocking 
scene  presented  itself.  Two  of  these  miserable  wretches  were 
already  dead,  and  the  others  were  so  dreadfully  mangled  and 
stabbed,  that  they  died  in  a  few  hours.  The  captain  was 
dreadfully  frightened  lest  the  dons  should  get  wind  of  the 
affair. 


160  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


If  they  had,  it  would  have  been  a  bad  case  for  the 
skipper.  But  we  sailed  the  next  day,  and  the  bodies  were 
thrown  overboard  soon  after  we  got  outside  of  the  Moro,  and 
I  dare  say  the  sharks  made  a  noble  feast  upon  them." 

"  Somno  was  a  good  dog  in  his  way,"  growled  old  Ben 
Bobstay,  with  a  voice  as  harsh  as  the  croaking  of  a  bull-frog 
who  had  caught  cold  in  the  marshes ;  "  but  the  queerest  four- 
legged  brute  that  I  ever  met  with,  was  when  I  was  with  Cap 
tain  Andrews,  in  the  ship  Dulcinea,  of  Portland.  We  had  a 
dog  on  board  that  ship  named  Watch,  and  his  name  agreed 
with  his  nature,  which  was  something  remarkable ;  for  he  was 
the  best  hand  to  look  out  that  I  ever  saw  on  the  deck  of  a 
merchantman.  He  was  dull  and  heavy  through  the  day, 
lying  about  deck,  so  that  one  who  did  not  know  him,  would 
take  him  to  be  a  lazy,  stupid,  useless  cur,  not  worth  his  salt. 
But  the  moment  the  sun  was  buried  in  the  ocean,  Watch  was 
all  alive ;  he  did  not  appear  to '  be  the  same  animal,  but 
seemed  aware  that  the  duty  of  looking  out  for  strange  sails 
or  land  fell  upon  him ;  and  a  faithful  look-out  he  would  keep 
until  after  daylight  the  next  morning.  If  the  captain  was 
running  in  for  land,  he  would  never  heave  to  in  the  darkest 
night ;  for  he  depended  altogether  upon  Watch,  and  Watch 
never  deceived  him.  When  the  ship  drew  near  the  land,  he 
grew  fidgety  and  uneasy,  and  when  we  got  within  six  or  eight 
miles  of  it,  he  would  set  up  a  hideous  howl,  that  could  be 
heard  in  every  part  of  the  ship,  and  this  howling  he  would 
keep  up,  with  hardly  any  cessation,  until  the  ship  was  hove 
to,  when  the  rascal  would  place  his  fore-paws  on  the  gun 
wale,  and  sticking  out  his  long  nose  towards  the  land,  and  his 
tail,  as  long  and  as  stiff  as  a  capstan-bar,  in  another  direction, 
would  snuff  the  breeze,  until  daylight  would  show  us  our 
whereabouts.  0,  he  was  a  jewel  of  a  fellow,  that  dog, 
Watch  !  He  was,  indeed,  a  watch-dog ! 

"  Poor  Watch  fell  overboard  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic 


SEA   DOGS.  161 

Ocean,  one  unlucky  stormy  night,  when  he  had  climbed  up 
on  the  gunwale,  howling  and  barking,  and  trying,  in  every 
way  that  a  poor  dumb  beast  could  think  on,  to  tell  the  cap 
tain  that  there  was  danger  close  aboard.  But  it  was  so  dark 
you  could  not  see  your  hand  before  you,  and  the  captain 
thought  Watch  had  lost  his  reckoning,  and  was  telling  a  cock- 
and-a-bull  story  about  the  land,  which  he  knew  must  be  a 
lie.  The  ship  took  a  weather  lurch,  overboard  went  poor 
Watch,  and,  before  we  could  heave  to  and  lower  a  boat,  a 
ship,  under  full  sail,  going  at  least  seven  knots,  run  slap  into 
our  quarter,  and  shattered  our  stern  in  as  beautiful  a  manner 
as  one  would  wish  to  see  on  a  stormy  night.  If  she  had 
struck  us  in  the  waist,  we  should  have  gone  to  the  bottom 
like  a  lump  of  lead.  As  it  was,  poor  Watch  was  forgotten  in 
the  hurry  and  confusion  of  the  moment,  and  was  never  after 
seen.  He  died  nobly,  like  a  faithful  sentinel  doing  his  duty 
at  his  post.  The  captain  cried  like  a  child  when  he  found 
Watch  was  lost,  for  they  had  been  shipmates  together  six 
voyages,  and  I  really  believe  he  loved  Watch  as  he  would 
have  loved  his  own  son." 

"  No  doubt  of  it,"  said  Jack  Footrope,  who,  by  the  way, 
was  a  great  wag,  and  who,  like  some  good  folks  I  have  known 
on  land,  would  never  suffer  himself  to  be  outdone  in  a  story. 
A  roguish  grin  lighted  up  his  weather-beaten  phiz,  as  he  con 
tinued,  as  follows : 

"  Watch  was  a  noble  dog,-  and  he  died  like  a  man.  If  I 
had  been  captain  of  the  ship,  I  would  sooner  have  lost  the 
mainmast  in  a  typhoon  than  have  lost  Watch.  But  the  best 
of  dogs,  as  well  as  seamen,  must  die  at  last ;  and,  shipmates, 
if  wer  are  only  as  well  prepared  for  it  as  Watch  was,  it  will 
go  easy  with  us  when  we  join  a  taunt  ship  in  a  future  state, 
under  a  commander  who  will  give  every  man  his  due.  There 
fore  we  should  avoid  all  improper  conduct,  and,  above  all,  we 
should  avoid  lying,  or  aught  that  looks  like  it,  as  we  should  a 


162  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

lee  shore  in  a  gale  of  wind.  If  there  is  anything  I  despise, 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  it  is  a  liar.  That  story  which 
Caleb  told  us  about  the  Spaniards,  looked  rather  suspicious. 
I  confess  I  can  hardly  gulp  it  down ;  but  it  may  be  true,  for 
dogs  are  curious  creatures,  and  cut  strange  capers  sometimes. 

"  I  recollect  that  when,  about  a  dozen  years  ago,  I  was  on 
a  voyage  to  India,  in  the  ship  Burrampooter,  Captain  Hard- 
alee,  we  had  a  dog  on  board,  which  we  called  Tom  Towser. 
He  was  a  strange  chap,  and  I  always  thought  he  must  have 
been  an  old  sailor  disguised ;  for  he  not  only  kept  a  first-rate 
look-out,  at  sea  or  in  a  harbor,  but  could  do  a  seaman's  duty 
almost  as  well  as  any  seaman  on  board.  You  stare,  ship 
mates,  but  't  is  true  as  the  longitude  by  dead  reckoning,  for 
all  that.  He  was  a  stout,  shaggy  fellow,  and  could  pull  and 
haul,  cast  off  or  belay  a  rope,  as  well  as  any  man  belonging  to 
the  ship.  And,  more  than  all  that,  he  was  always  on  hand. 
If  a  royal  was  to  be  taken  in,  Towser  was  up  on  the  jack  cross- 
trees,  ready  to  furl  it  before  it  was  well  clued  up.  If  the 
word  was  given,  '  Ready  about ! '  Towser  was  at  his  station  at 
the  weather  cross-jack  braces,  in  a  jiffey,  and  the  moment  the 
captain  would  sing  out,  '  Let  go  and  haul ! '  he  would  cast  off, 
and  spring  to  the  weather  main-brace,  with  an  alertness  and 
an  energy  which  the  captain  often  told  us  was  an  example  to 
all  hands.  When  a  topsail  was  clued  down  to  be  reefed,  Tom 
Towser  would  be  the  first  man  on  the  yard,  and  invariably 
hauled  out  the  weather  earing.  The  knowing  rascal  knew 
the  compass  as  well  as  I  did,  and  would  steer  his  trick  by 
night  and  by  day,  unless  when  the  wind  was  blowing  heavy, 
or  we  were  near  the  land,  at  which  times  the  captain  thought 
it  was  best  to  let  a  two-legged  Christian  take  the  wheel ;  oth 
erwise,  if  any  accident  should  happen,  the  underwriters  might 
say  they  were  not  liable,  and  make  a  fuss  about  it,  and  refuse 
to  pay  the  policy. 

"  Coming  round  the  C*bp e  of  Good  Hope,  the  old  ship  strained 


SEA    DOGS.  163 

heavily,  and  leaked  like  a  sieve,  and  we  should  have  found  it 
hard  work  to  keep  her  on  the  top  of  the  water,  if  Tom  Towser 
had  not  taken  his  spell  at  the  pump,  and  done  noble  service ; 
for  he  was  pretty  long-winded,  and  could  ply  the  pump- 
brake  twice  as  long  as  any  other  man  on  board.  The  only 
things  lacking  about  Tom  Towser  were  these,  —  he  would 
never  drink  his  grog,  but  always  kept  sober  and  quiet,  and 
he  could  not  talk  !  With  regard  to  the  grog,  we  tried  hard 
to  make  him  like  it,  but  it  was  no  go  :  the  more  we  said  grog, 
the  more  he  made  wry  faces,  and  we  were  obliged  to  give  it 
up  as  a  bad  job.  I  believe,  though,  that  he  was  more  than 
half  right,  after  all.  As  for  talking,  he  showed  a  disposition 
to  learn,  and  was  an  apt  scholar ;  but  he  sometimes  made  hor 
rible  work  in  trying  to  tell  what  he  wanted,  his  language 
being  something  between  a  yell,  a  howl,  and  a  bark,  with  a 
little  intermixture  of  the  human  voice.  While  lying  in  the 
roads  in  Batavia,  he  frightened  a  Malay  into  fits  one  day,  by 
trying  to  tell  him,  in  his  unintelligible  jargon,  to  cast  off  the 
long-boat's  painter.  Poor  Tom !  I  verily  believe  we  should 
have  taught  him  to  speak  English,  or,  at  least,  dog  latin,  tol 
erably  well,  if  we  had  not  lost  him  on  the  passage  home." 

"  How  did  you  lose  him  ?  "  asked  two  or  three  of  the  crew. 

"  Why,"  continued  Jack  Footrope,  in  a  solemn  tone,  and 
with  a  woe-begone  look,  "  one  dark  night,  when  we  were  a 
few  degrees  to  the  northward  and  westward  of  the  Cape,  the 
larboard  watch  were  busy  brailing  up  the  spanker,  and  squar 
ing  the  after  yards,  when  eight  bells  came  round,  and  the 
mate  told  Towser  to  go  forward  and  call  the  starboard  watch. 
Tom  was  glad  of  the  chance  ;  but  it  was  his  first  attempt  at 
that  business,  and,  unfortunately,  in  his  zeal  to  rouse  his  snor 
ing  shipmates,  he  thrust  his  snout  down  the  scuttle,  and  made 
such  a  hideous  bellowing  as  would  have  awakened  one 
of  the  seven  sleepers,  —  ay,  or  roused  a  dead  man  to  life ; 
and  Ben  Block,  who  was  blessed  with  a  hot,  ungovernable 


164  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

temper,  jumped  out  of  his  berth,  in  a  rage,  rushed  on  deck, 
and  gave  poor  Towser,  such  a  rap  over  his  head  with  a 
handspike,  as  stretched  him  dead  upon  the  deck !  Ben 
was  sorry  for  what  he  had  done,  the  moment  he  gave  the 
blow,  and  he  was  more  sorry  still  a  few  minutes  after 
wards;  for  the  moment  the  murderous  act  was  known,  there 
was  a  general  burst  of  indignation  from  the  whole  crew.  For 
my  part,  I  could  not  stand  it,  and  I  fell  upon  Ben  with  my 
two  fists,  which  you  know,'  shipmates,  are  as  big  as  balls  of 
spunyarn,  and  as  hard  as  serving-mallets,  and  gave  him  a 
drubbing  which  disabled  him  from  duty  for  the  rest  of  the 
passage,  and  from  the  effects  of  which,  I  '11  be  bound,  he  will 
never  recover  until  his  dying  day." 

All  comments  on  Jack's  story,  by  his  admiring  shipmates, 
were  prevented,  and  their  yarns  unceremoniously  cut  short 
by  a  huge  fair-weather  sea,  which  came  rolling  lazily  along 
from  the  windward  ;  and,  as  the  ship  fell  off  from  the 
wind,  it  broke  on  the  weather  gangway,  and  inundated  the 
deck.  All  hands  got  a  thorough  drenching;  their  bread 
and  beef  were  washed  overboard,  and  along  with  them  went  a 
few  scattered  pieces  of  plank,  some  small  spars,  &c.  But 
what  yielded  the  ill-natured  fellows  inconceivable  delight, 
in  the  midst  of  their  petty  vexation,  was  this :  the  prowl 
ing,  canine  thief,  Faithful,  had  ventured  to  sneak  on  deck, 
while  they  were  expatiating  on  the  virtues  of  his  brethren, 
and,  while  slyly  watching  a  chance  to  pilfer  the  beef,  or  a 
portion  of  it  at  least,  a  second  time,  the  sea  fairly  lifted  him 
off  his  legs,  and  carried  him  far  away,  along  with  the  rest 
of  the  useless  lumber.  The  crew  of  the  Sylphide,  on  seeing 
this,  shook  the  water  from  their  shaggy  pea-jackets,  and 
indulged  in  a  hearty  laugh ;  then,  waving  their  tarpaulins, 
gave  three  tremendous  cheers,  as  a  parting  salutation,  to  the 
poor  struggling  Faithful,  who  sunk  beneath  the  waves,  and 
was  seen  no  more. 


POPPING  THE   QUESTION. 

"  The  time  I  've  lost  in  wooing. 
In  watching  and  pursuing, 

The  light  that  lies 

In  woman's  eyes, 
Has  been  my  heart  undoing."  MOORE. 

THE  good  ship  True  Blue,  heavily  laden  with  "West  India 
produce,  was  wallowing  along  one  night  across  the  tail  of  the 
Newfoundland  Bank,  on  a  passage  from  Boston  to  Antwerp. 
The  wind  was  blowing  a  stiff  breeze  from  the  south-west,  and 
the  light  sails  were  taken  in.  Thick  clouds  obscured  the 
stars ;  and,  at  short  intervals,  showers  of  mist  and  fog  swept 
across  the  decks  of  the  ship.  It  was  such  a  night  as  a  lands 
man  would  pronounce  cold,  damp  and  dreary,  and  calculated 
to  conjure  up  a  legion  of  "  blues "  to  bewilder  the  imagi 
nation,  and  destroy  the  comfort  of  any  one  but  a  light-hearted 
sailor. 

It  was  in  the  middle  watch.  Old  Ben  Tomkins  was  at  the 
wheel,  and  laboring  hard  to  keep  the  head  of  the  vessel  due 
east ;  but  she  made  a  terribly  crooked  wake,  and  seemed 
obstinately  inclined  to  go  in  every  direction  but  the  right 
one.  Mr.  Sheavehole,  the  first  officer,  was  pacing  the  quarter 
deck,  and  whenever  a  flaw  struck  the  ship,  and  she  seemed 
inclined  to  take  a  broad  sheer,  he  would  gruffly  admonish  Ben 
to  "  steer  small,  and  not  let  the  ship  cut  such  queer  capers, 
like  a  struck  dolphin,  or  a  monkey  shot  through  the  head." 
The  remainder  of  the  watch  on  deck,  with  their  pea-jackets 


166  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

girt  firmly  around  them,  and  old-fashioned  tarpaulins  or 
south-westers,  attached  to  their  cocoa-nuts,  were  moving  to 
and  fro  on  the  forecastle,  stamping  their  feet  to  keep  them 
warm,  humming  some  antiquated  song,  wondering  what  kind 
of  weather  would  come  next,  or  eagerly  listening  for  the 
word,  at  the  expiration  of  each  half  hour,  to  "strike  the 
bell." 

"  I  say,  Frank  Granger,  were  you  ever  married  ?  "  abruptly 
exclaimed  Jack  Dale,  a  fine-looking,  athletic  young  sea 
man,  to  a  case-hardened,  weather-beaten  sailor,  who  was 
leaning  pensively  against  the  windlass  bits. 

"  Married  ?  No,  I  never  was  married,  Jack.  What  put 
that  in  your  head  ?  " 

"  Why,"  said  Jack,  with  a  sigh,  "  sometimes  I  cannot  help 
thinking  it  must  be  vastly  more  pleasant  and  agreeable  to  be 
living  on  shore,  with  a  comfortable  roof  over  one's  head, 
plenty  of  shot  in  the  locker,  and  a  snug  little  wife  for  a  com 
panion,  than  to  be  keeping  watch  on  a  dark,  cold,  rainy  night 
at  sea ;  or  reefing  topsails,  or  sending  down  top-gallant- 
yards  and  masts  in  a  gale ;  or  riding  out  a  hurricane  on  a  lee 
shore.  I  have  sometimes  thought,  if  I  could  come  athwart 
the  right  kind  of  a  girl,  I  should  have  no  objection  to  be 
spliced." 

"  Be  careful  what  you  do,  my  good  fellow,"  replied  Frank, 
in  a  warning  voice.  "  Do  nothing  rashly.  Recollect  there 
are  two  sides  to  a  question,  and  if  there  are  advantages  in 
getting  married,  there  is  some  comfort  also  in  being  a  bache 
lor.  Marriage  is  a  lottery,  and  it  is  not  every  man  who  ven 
tures,  that  secures  a  prize.  There  was  Dick  Dallas  ;  we  were 
shipmates  together  last  voyage  in  the  Marcellus.  He  had 
been  married  twelve  years,  and  he  told  me  he  had  repented  of 
it  but  once,  and  that  was  ever  since  the  parson  tied  the  knot. 
He  said  there  were  more  thunder-storms  and  rain-squalls  in 
his  house  than  he  ever  met  with  in  the  Gulf  Stream;  and  that 


POPPING    THE    QUESTION.  167 

he  could  enjoy  more  peace  and  quiet  in  a  good  ship,  tossed 
about  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  by  a  furious  *  norther]  than 
when  snugly  moored  in  the  same  harbor  with  his  wife  and 
children,  and  surrounded  with  all  the  enjoyments  tfhome" 

"  Come,  come,  Frank,"  said  Jack,  "  that  won't  do.  I  know 
Dick  Dallas.  He  is  a  cross-grained  old  stick,  full  of  whims 
and  oddities  ;  and  his  wife  is  a  queer  woman,  of  an  uncertain 
temper,  and  will  have  her  own  way.  Besides,  I  don't  believe 
you  are  telling  us  your  honest  opinion.  If  you  are,  it  is 
because  some  girl  has  given  you  the  « go  by,'  and  you  are 
soured  by  disappointment.  Tell  us  now,  truly,  did  you  always 
have  such  a  dislike  to  matrimony  ?  Did  you  never  try  to  get 
spliced  ? " 

"  To  be  sure  I  have,"  replied  Frank,  "  and  more  than  once, 
too  ;  but  I  was  young  and  foolish  in  those  days,  and  it  was 
lucky  for  me  that  the  strands  would  never  stick  together." 

"  How  was  it  ?  "  eagerly  asked  Jack.  "  Let  us  have  the 
particulars." 

"  Ay,  ay  ! "  chimed  in  Tim  Gibson ;  "  tell  us  all  about 
your  matrimonial  scrapes,  Frank.  'T  will  do  to  keep  our  eye 
lids  apart,  and  may  serve  as  a  useful-  lesson,  you  know  ;  for 
I  've  been  told,  by  those  who  ought  to  know,  that  woman's 
heart  is  a  chart  which  it  is  difficult  for  even  a  practised  nav 
igator  to  understand." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  said  Frank ;  "  but  /  could  never 
understand  it ;  and,  as  far  as  my  experience  goes,  the  man  who 
has  the  least  to  do  with  it  is  the  best  off.  And,  lads,"  con 
tinued  he,  in  a  patronizing  tone,  "  if  my  experience  can  be  of 
any  service  to  you,  you  are  welcome  to  it,  although  I  have  got 
nothing  very  strange  or  diverting  to  tell  you." 

"  That 's  right,  Frank,"  exclaimed  Jack,  "  heave  ahead,  and 
save  the  tide  ;  and,  mind  yev  spin  nothing  but  a  plain  matter- 
of-fact  yarn." 


168  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

Thus  conjured,  the  hard-visaged  old  tar  commenced  his  nar 
rative  as  follows  : 

"  You  must  know,  that  although  I  am  a  rough  and  ungainly- 
looking  object  now,  having  met  with  many  hard  knocks  and 
weathered  many  tough  gales  in  the  course  of  my  life,  I  was 
once  quite  a  good-looking  youth,  and  fond  of  the  society  of 
the  girls.  My  father  was  an  honest  farmer,  who  resided  in 
Cranberry  village,  in  the  interior  of  Massachusetts,  and  I  was 
the  eldest  son.  At  an  early  age  I  was  instructed  in  all  the 
mysteries  of  chopping,  hoeing,  mowing,  ploughing,  taking  care 
of  stock,  and  other  duties  which  devolve  on  a  farmer ;  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one,  I  was  able  to  cut  as  large  a  swath  as 
any  man  within  five  miles ;  and  at  the  raising  of  Deacon 
Jones'  barn,  when  the  wrestling  ring  was  formed,  I  threw 
every  man  who  could  be  brought  against  me.  Well,  a  few 
days  after  this,  it  was  in  the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  No 
vember,  my  good  mother,  one  day,  taking  an  opportunity  when 
we  were  alone,  spoke  to  me  something  after  this  fashion  : 

"  '  Frank,  you  are  now  grown  to  man's  estate.  You  are  a 
stout,  well-grown  lad,  of  steady  and  industrious  habits,  and, 
thanks  to  your  father,  know  how  to  work.  It  is  time  for  you 
to  be  looking  out  for  a  wife,  for  I  am  growing  rather  infirm, 
and  work  does  not  come  so  easy  to  me  as  it  used  to.  What 
do  you  say,  Frank  —  should  you  like  to  be  married  ? ' 

"  I  was  taken  all  aback  at  this  plump  question,  and  stam 
mered  out  something  in  reply,  I  hardly  know  what. 

"  « Well,  Frank,'  continued  my  mother,  '  I  've  been  thinking, 
for  some  weeks,  which  of  the  girls  in  these  parts  would  suit 
you  best,  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  Hannah  Harts 
horn  will  be  the  very  damsel.  You  know  her  father,  Major 
Hartshorn,  don't  you,  Frank  ?  ' 

"'To  be  sure  I  do,  mother,'  I  replied ;  ' and  her  brother 
Tom,  too.' 

"  '  Well,  then,  you  've  no  objection  to  Hannah,  of  course. 


POPPING    THE    QUESTION.  169 

She 's  the  prettiest  girl  in  the  parish,  and,  although  rather  too 
fond  of  fun  and  frolic,  is  a  smart  and  good  girl,  and  will  make 
you  a  capital  wife.' 

"  Xow  I  'd  often  looked  at  Hannah's  pretty  face  in  meeting, 
and  took  rather  a  fancy  to  her ;  and  more  than  once  had  half 
resolved,  when  I  saw  her  leaving  the  meeting-house  in  the  after 
noon  for  home,  to  offer  my  services  to  see  her  safely  housed, 
but  I  could  not  muster  courage  enough.  Therefore,  I  was  not 
displeased  with  my  mother's  proposition ;  but  I  did  not  feel 
very  confident  of  success,  as  I  knew  I  was  not  the  only  young 
fellow  who  admired  her. 

"  *  But,  mother,'  I  replied,  while  I  could  feel  that  my  face 
was  as  red  as  the  jacket  of  a  boiled  lobster,  '  although  I  may 
have  no  objection  to  Hannah  as  a  wife,  it  is  by  no  means  cer 
tain  that  Hannah  will  have  me  for  a  husband.' 

"  '  0,  fiddle  faddle  ! '  cried  the  good  woman  ;  '  faint  heart 
never  won  fair  lady,  and,  even  if  she  should  give  you  the 
'•  mitten,"  you  'd  be  none  the  worse  for  it.  But  she  's  not 
such  a  fool  as  to  throw  away  sucli  a  chance ;  she  '11  snap  at 
you  as  a  pickerel  snaps  at  a  frog.' 

"  *  I  hope  she  '11  not  serve  me  in  the  same  way,  mother,' 
replied  I,  with  a  grin. 

"  '  Never  you  mind  that,  Frank  ;  I  dare  say  she  will  make 
a  good  and  loving  wife.  And  the  sooner  you  go  and  see  her, 
the  better.  Indeed,  there  is  no  reason  why  you  should  not 
visit  her  this  very  night,  and  see  how  the  land  lies.  Go,  put 
yourself  in  decent  order,  and  catch  the  old  colt,  and  before 
the  sun  goes  down,  be  on  your  way  to  Major  Hartshorn's.  I 
dare  say  the  whole  family  will  be  glad  to  see  you,  and  Han 
nah  will  be  quite  delighted.' 

"  « But,  mother,'  I  replied,  taken  all  aback  with  the  bold 
ness  of  the  proposition,  '  I  should  not  know  what  to  say.     I 
should  act  like  a  fool ;  I  would  rather  wait  till  next  week,  — 
or  —  or  —  next  month,  or  —  or  — ' 
15 


170  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

"  *  Pish  !  nonsense  ! '  said  the  old  lady,  impatiently.  4  The 
sooner  the  matter  is  arranged,  the  better  for  nil  parties.  While 
you  are  dilly-dallying,  some  more  spirited  fellow  may  step  in, 
and  bear  her  off.  There  's  many  a  slip  between  the  cup  and 
the  lip,  and  I  remember  that  last  Sabbath,  Colonel  Doolittle's 
son,  Hiram,  cast  sheep's  eyes  at  Hannah  Hartshorn,  which 
were  very  suspicious ;  and  she  seemed  more  pleased  than 
offended.' 

"  I  found  that  my  mother,  having  set  her  mind  on  this  dar 
ling  object,  and  meeting  with  no  serious  obstacle  on  my  part, 
would  grant  no  reprieve,  but  was  resolved  that  I  should  go  a- 
courting  that  very  night;  or,  as  she  expressed  it,  'strike  while 
the  iron  is  hot.'  I  accordingly  proceeded,  in  a  state  of  great 
mental  agitation,  to  change  my  every-day  dress  for  my  go-to- 
meeting  clothes.  I  put  on  my  pepper-and-salt  pantaloons,  and, 
although  I  had  worn  them  on  great  occasions  for  three  years, 
they  were  still  almost  as  good  as  new,  with  the  exception  that 
my  legs  had  increased  some  six  inches  in  length  since  the 
pantaloons  were  made,  which  gave  the  garment  an  odd  and 
somewhat  awkward  appearance.  I  wore  a  stylish  bandanna 
around  my  neck,  which  concealed  a  portion  of  my  enormous 
shirt-collar, — a  genuine  article,  for  '  dickeys '  were  not  known 
in  those  days,  —  and  over  my  dashing,  striped,  swansdown 
waistcoat,  I  threw  my  sky-blue  coatee ;  and  after  I  had  care 
fully  combed  my  hair,  and  smoothed  it  down,  according  to  the 
latest  fashion,  with  a  tallow  candle,  I  looked  in  the  glass,  and 
was  tolerably  well  satisfied  with  my  appearance.  Thought  I 
to  myself,  if  Hannah  Hartshorn  rejects  a  fellow  about  my 
size,  she  is  not  the  sensible  girl  I  have  always  believed  her  to 
be.  She  may  go  further  and  fare  worse. 

"The  old  colt  was  soon  saddled.  I  shook  hands  with 
mother,  who  bade  me  not  be  afraid,  but  keep  up  a  good  heart 
and  behave  like  a  man,  mounted  my  steed,  and  departed  on 
the  expedition. 


POPPING    THE    QUESTION.  171 

"  Major  Hartshorn  lived  at  the  distance  of  five  miles,  and, 
as  I  rode  leisurely  along  the  road,  I  had  abundant  time  to 
reflect  on  the  startling  character  of  the  expedition  in  which  I 
had  so  suddenly  embarked ;  and,  the  more  I  reflected,  the  more 
I  felt  afraid  that  I  should  make  a  ninny,  a  complete  boot-jack 
of  myself;  and  I  would  gladly  have  given  up  the  project,  or 
postponed  it  for  a  time,  were  it  not  for  giving  offence  to  my 
mother.  0,  how  I  wished  that  she  could  go  with  me,  and 
take  all  the  management  of  the  affair  off  my  hands,  or  at  least 
give  me  some  useful  advice  with  regard  to  my  conduct !  She 
had  already  been  through  the  mill,  and  knew  how  the  business 
was  done  ;  and  talked  about  it  as  glibly,  and  as  coolly,  as  if 
the  project  was  only  to  send  me  into  the  woods  to  gather  a  few 
sprigs  of  hemlock  for  a  broom.  But  it  could  not  be.  Custom 
required  me  to  go  alone,  and  shape  out  my  course  as  well  as 
I  could  by  myself. 

"  And  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  shipmates,  it  is  a  serious,  an 
awful  thing,  for  a  modest  young  man  to  go  a-courting  for  the 
first  time.  It  is  a  very  pretty  matter  to  talk  about,  but  to  talk 
and  to  do,  are  different  things ;  and  I  never  felt  my  head  so 
light,  and  my  heart  so  heavy,  as  when  I  was  trotting  off  slowly 
on  the  old  colt  to  visit  the  major's  Hannah.  I  wished  my 
self  at  the  bottom  of  the  frog-pond  before  I  reached  the  house. 
And  when  I  found  myself  opposite  the  comfortable-looking  old 
mansion,  which  then  contained  within  its  walls  my  chosen  one, 
I  could  not  summon  the  resolution  to  stop,  but  went  forward 
at  least  a  couple  of  miles  further,  and  then  returned  slowly, 
step  by  step,  like  a  thief  going  to  the  whipping-post.  But  by 
the  time  I  again  reached  the  dwelling,  I  had,  by  a  great  exer 
tion,  made  up  my  mind  to  go  in  and  dare  the  consequences  of 
looking  in  the  face  a  beautiful,  high-spirited  girl,  and  whisper 
ing  in  her  ear  tender  things. 

"  I  hitched  the  colt  to  the  horse-shoe  nailed  to  the  butter 
nut-tree,  at  the  end  of  the  house,  and  went  in,  my  heart,  the 


172  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

whole  time,  beating  in  my  bosom,  for  all  the  world,  like  a  par 
tridge  drumming  behind  a  stump.  I  found  the  family  coseyly 
seated  around  the  fire ;  the  hearth  was  nicely  swept,  and 
everything  looked  as  neat  and  comfortable  as  wax-work.  The 
major  seemed  a  little  surprised  at  my  entrance,  but  gave  me 
a  cordial  grasp  of  the  hand  ;  and  his  good  wife  said  she  was 
delighted  to  see  me.  As  for  Tom,  he  grinned,  and  looked 
knowingly  at  Hannah,  as  he  jocularly  asked  me  what  on  airth 
led  me  to  visit  them  that  time  of  night. 

"  Hannah,  herself,  looked  a  little  flustered,  and  I  thought  I 
had  never  seen  her  cheeks  so  rosy ;  but  she  sat  as  stiff  and 
upright  in  her  chair  as  a  martingale ;  said  but  little,  and  that 
was  addressed  to  the  children ;  and  seemed  as  quiet  and  demure 
as  a  cat  when  intent  on  stealing  cream.  The  old  folks,  how 
ever,  were  sociable  enough,  and  I  talked  away  as  if  for  a  wager, 
uttering  much  nonsense,  I  dare  say,  about  the  weather,  the  late 
season,  the  crops,  the  fall  of  stock,  the  rise  of  hay  and  grain, 
&c.,  &c.  The  major  and  I  agreed  wonderfully,  for  whatever 
he  would  say,  I  would  repeat,  and  go  forward  on  the  same 
tack.  So,  by  the  time  I  had  been  half  an  hour  in  the  house, 
I  began, to  feel  rather  comfortable,  and  was  inclined  to  think 
that  it  was  not  so  terrible  a  thing  to  court  Hannah  Hartshorn 
as  I  expected. 

"But  my  ague  returned  when  I  saw  the  considerate  old 
lady  making  preparations  for  leaving  us  together.  The  younger 
children  were  first  sent  off ;  and  one  of  them,  a  saucy  little 
chit,  about  eleven  or  twelve  years  old,  as  she  was  leaving  the 
room,  threw  a  knowing  look  first  at  me,  and  then  at  Hannah, 
and  burst  out  into  a  laugh.  The  old  lady  frowned,  Hannah 
blushed  and  looked  angry,  and  I  felt  more  like  a  fool  than 
ever.  Tom,  after  some  admonitory  winks  from  his  mother, 
also  disappeared ;  and  the  major,  after  muttering  something 
about  being  up  late  the  night  before,  and  having  to  rise  bright 
and  early  the  next  morning,  shuffled  out  of  the  room,  and  was 


POPPING    THE    QUESTION. 


173 


soon  after  followed  by  his  better  half,  who,  as  she  left  the 
apartment,  gave  me  an  encouraging,  motherly  smile,  and  then, 
thinking  she  was  unobserved,  slyly  shook  her  dumpy  finger  at 
her  daughter. 

"  Thus,  at  last,  we  were  fairly  left  alone  together.  I  trem 
bled  in  every  limb,  and  I  've  no  doubt  looked  as  pale  as  a 
ghost.  I  felt,  at  the  time,  that  I  would  rather  have  faced  a 
grisly  bear  in  a  cave  on  the  Rocky  Mountains,  than  have 
remained  half  an  hour  in  that  room,  with  no  one  present  but 
the  finest  girl  in  the  parish.  I  wished  that  my  mother  had 
been  engaged  in  better  business,  when  she  talked  me  into  the 


project  of  going  a-courting.     My  first  impulse,  after  the  sound 
of  the  closing  of  the  door  died  away,  was  to  start  up  and  run 


174  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

off;  but  I  seemed  pinned  to  my  chair,  and  could  not  rise; 
and  there  I  sat  for  several  minutes,  looking  earnestly  into  the 
fire,  which  burned  clear  and  brightly,  and,  with  the  aid  of  a 
candle  made  of  bayberry  tallow,  cast  a  cheerful  light  around 
the  room.  I  wanted  to  say  something,  but  I  could  find  neither 
ideas  nor  words.  At  length,  by  a  desperate  effort,  I  raised 
my  head  slowly,  and  cast  a  sidelong  glance  at  my  charmer. 
There  she  sat,  about  three  feet  off,  as  firm  and  collected  as  if 
nothing  extraordinary  was  taking  place ;  but  I  thought  she 
looked  rather  solemn  and  disappointed.  I  again  directed  my 
look  to  the  fire,  making  an  inward  determination  to  say  some 
thing  soon,  when  we  were  both  startled  by  a  coal,  which,  with 
a  loud  snap,  flew  from  the  back-log  to  the  further  corner  of 
the  room. 

"  Hannah,  affrighted,  sprang  from  her  chair  with  wondrous 
agility ;  but,  on  seeing  the  cause  of  her  alarm,  quietly  resumed 
her  seat,  remarking  in  rather  a  sarcastic  tone,  *  Well,  that 
spark  has  got  some  life  in  him,  anyhow.' 

"  This  hit,  evidently  intended  for  me,  increased  my  con 
fusion.  I  succeeded,  however,  in  forcing  a  dismal  '  ha  !  ha  ! ' 
and,  feeling  in  every  limb  the  necessity  of  bringing  the  affair 
to  a  crisis,  with  wonderful  temerity,  hitched  my  chair  side 
ways  towards  her.  '  Ha-a-nnah,'  said  I,  in  a  faltering  voice, 
'  Ha-a-nnah,  —  Ha-a-rtshorn ! ' 

"  '  Well,  Mr.  Granger,'  replied  she,  rather  pettishly,  '  I 
hear  you.' 

"  This  was  a  damper ;  nevertheless,  as  my  courage  was 
roused,  and  I  had  got  fairly  started,  I  determined  to  go  on. 

"  '  Ha-a-nnah, —  I  —  think  —  the  old  folks  —  were  ve-ve-ry 
kind  —  to  go  off —  to  —  to  bed,  —  Don't  y-y-ou  ? ' 

"  Her  only  reply  was  a  stare,  which  seemed  to  send  an 
icicle,  pointed  with  steel,  right  through  my  bosom.  But  as  I 
had  succeeded  so  well  in  getting  out  a  few  words,  I  was 
resolved  to  remain  dumb  no  longer,  and,  putting  on  a  tender 


POPPING    THE    QUESTION.  175 

and  die-away  look,  I  continued,  '  Wh-a-at  do  you-u  think  the 
o-o-ld  folks  went  off  —  to  bed,  and  le-e-ft  us  to-ge-ther  for  ? 
He-e-y  !  ' 

'"So  far  from  responding  in  kind  to  my  tender  look  and 
manner,  her  beautiful  brow  seemed  slightly  wrinkled  by  a 
frown,  as  she  rapidly  replied,  '  I  suppose  they  went  to  bed 
to  sleep,  and  I  think  the  best  thing  I  can  do  is  to  follow  their 
example.  Hi-ho-hum !  '  and  the  provoking  jade  actually 
!j;uped  in  my  face. 

"  '  Why,  Hannah,'  I  replied,  in  a  faint  voice,  for  my  cour 
age  was  ebbing  at  a  rapid  rate,  '  I  came  all  the  way  from  our 
house,  through  the  Green  lane,  on  the  old  colt,  to  see  you, 
and  for  no  other  earthly  reason.  And,  more  than  all  that, 
mother  not  only  said  I  might  come,  but  told  me  to  come.' 

"  '  Your  mother  told  you  so,  did  she  ?  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  '  ex 
claimed  my  fair  one,  with  a  scornful  laugh.  '  0,  you  are  a 
good  boy,  and  a  bright  one  into  the  bargain  !  You  shall  have 
a  wife  when  you  get  married  !  ' 

"I  was  thunderstruck.  A  fearful  shudder  passed  over  my 
frame,  for  I  saw  that  the  sweet  girl,  whom  I  had  chosen  for 
my  bride,  was  actually  making  fun  of  me,  and  that,  as  my 
mother  would  have  said,  '  my  cake  was  all  dough.'  I  leaned 
back  in  my  chair,  and,  while  my  limbs  shook,  and  my  teeth 
chattered,  I  looked  her  imploringly  in  the  face,  with  a  vk-w 
to  remonstrate  against  her  incivility.  «  AYhy,  Ha-a-unah,  — 
dear  Ha-a-nnah ! '  said  I,  in  a  hollow  and  dolorous  tone,  and  it 
is  possible  that  I  might  have  said  something  more,  when  the 
chair,^ which  was  old  and  rickety,  came  down,  and  I  in  it, 
with  a  terrible  crash. 

"  This  unlucky  incident  and  my  wild  looks  frightened  the 
poor  girl  almost  out  of  her  wits.  She  jumped  from  her  chair, 
screaming,  '  0,  he  's  in  a  fit !'  and,  seizing  a  large  pitcher  of 
water,  that  was  unfortunately  on  the  table,  dashed  its  chilling 


176  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

contents  full  in  my  face  and  bosom,  and  darted  out  of  the 
room,  crying  aloud  for  help. 

"  Her  parents,  en  dishabille,  rushed  in  at  one  door,  crying, 
'  What 's  the  matter  ?  '  and  Tom  entered  at  another,  shouting, 
'  Where  is  the  rascal  ?  let  me  come  at  him  ! '  just  as  I 
recovered  from  my  consternation,  and  had  extricated  myself 
from  the  wreck.  I  made  a  run  for  the  front  window,  threw 
it  up,  and  darted  through  the  aperture,  with  the  nimbi eness 
of  a  harlequin,  mounted  the  old  colt,  who  had  been  patiently 
standing  beneath  the  tree  all  the  time,  and,  applying  my  heels 
to  his  sides,  accompanied  by  sundry  thumps  and  jerks  of  the 
bridle,  soon  succeeded  in  urging  him  into  a  gallop  down  the 
Green  lane  ;  but  not  before  Tom,  who  had  mistaken  the  cause 
of  his  sister's  alarm,  had  rushed  out  at  the  front  door,  and, 
seizing  a  stone  of  goodly  size,  let  it  fly  at  my  back,  with  all 
his  strength,  exclaiming,  « There,  take  that,  you  rascal,  and 
may  it  teach  you  better  manners  in  future !  ' 

"  I  reached  home  without  meeting  with  any  more  adven 
tures;  but  what  with  the  cold  bath  administered  by  Hannah, 
and  the  rubbing  down  from  the  hands  of  Tom,  and  the  ex 
citement  of  the  interesting  occasion,  combined  with  the  dis 
appointment  of  my  hopes,  and  the  mortification  at  my  un 
gentle  treatment  from  the  village  beauty,  I  was  attacked  the 
next  day  with  a  violent  fever,  which  lasted  for  more  than  a 
week,  and,  before  I  recovered,  the  whole  affair,  through  the 
malice  of  Tom,  and  perhaps  of  the  fair  maiden  herself,  got 
wind.  I  found  that  there  would  be  no  longer  comfort  for  me 
in  Cranberry  Village,  and,  packing  up  a  few  of  rny  duds,  I 
started  off  for  Boston,  shipped  on  board  the  first  vessel  I  could 
find  bound  on  a  foreign  voyage,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a 
few  visits  to  my  native  village  some  years  afterwards,  have 
stuck  to  the  blue  water  ever  since." 

"  You  were  a  lucky  fellow !  "  exclaimed  Tim  Gibson,  after 
Frank  Granger  had  concluded  his  narrative,  "  to  get  quit  of 


POPPING    THE   QUESTION. 


177 


Hannah  so  easily.  If  you  had  married  that  girl,  she  would 
have  led  you  a  dance,  indeed." 

"  I  don't  know  that,"  said  Jack  Dale,  who  had  exhibited  a 
deep  interest  in  Frank's  narrative.  "  She  was  a  fine  spirited 
girl,  and,  in  my  opinion,  served  you  right,  old  fellow.  But 
come,  Frank,  this  is  not  the  only  courting  scrape  you  have  met 
with.  Out  with  it  all;  make  a  clean  breast." 

But  before  Frank  could  reply,  the  hoarse  voice  "of  Mr. 
Sheavehole  was  heard,  exclaiming,  "  EIGHT  BELLS  !  CALL  THE 
WATCH!"  And  soon  the  unwelcome  sound  of  "  LARBOARD 
WATCH,  AHOY  ! "  was  heard  by  the  sleepers  in  the  forecastle, 
who  were  thus  unceremoniously  aroused  from  their  slumbers, 
and,  in  the  course  of  some  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes,  the 
starbolins  were  comfortably  turned  in,  and,  in  the  arms  of 
Somnus  and  Morpheus,  no  longer  thought  of  Hannah  Harts 
horn,  her  father  the  major,  or  her  brother  Tom. 


WHISTLING  JACK. 

"  An'  he  had  been  a  dog  that  should  have  howled  thus,  they  would 
have  hanged  him,  and  I  pray  God  his  bad  voice  bode  no  mischief.  I  had 
as  lief  have  heard  the  night  raven,  come  what  plague  could  have  come 
after  it."  —  SHAKSPEARE. 

IT  was  a  dark  and  rainy  night,  when,  several  years  ago, 
the  good  ship  Chimborazo  was  lying  snugly  at  anchor  in  the 
lower  harbor  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  laden  with  a  full  cargo  of 
cotton  and  naval  stores,  and  bound  for  Liverpool.  The  wind 
was  unfavorable  for  proceeding  to  sea,  and,  soon  after  dark, 
the  captain  ordered  the  yawl  to  be  manned  to  convey  him  to 
the  city,  where  he  could  pass  the  evening  more  in  accordance 
with  his  taste  and  inclination  than  on  shipboard,  with  no  other 
associate  than  his  mates,  and  confined  within  a  small  cabin, 
half  filled  with  bales  of  the  staple  commodity  of  South  Caro 
lina. 

The  boat,  manned  with  four  stout  seamen,  after  a  long  pull, 
reached  the  end  of  Magwood's  wharf,  when  the  captain  jumped 
ashore,  and,  after  having  ordered  the  men  to  remain  in  the 
boat,  and  not  leave  it  on  any  account,  as  it  was  uncertain  at 
what  time  he  might  wish  to  go  on  board,  he  passed  rapidly  up 
the  wharf,  and,  without  doubt,  soon  found  a  snug  harbor, 
with  pleasant  accommodations  and  attractive  company,  where 
he  remained,  indulging  in  conversation,  wine  and  cigars,  hour 
after  hour,  unmindful  of  the  honest  and  obedient  tars,  who, 
reclining  on  the  stern  seats  of  the  boat,  exposed  to  the  peltings 
of  the  storm,  were  haply  thinking  of  home,  or  wondering  how 


WHISTLING    JACK.  17& 

long  the  skipper  would  be  absent,  or  longing  for  a  chance  to 
change  their  duds,  and  turn  in,  after  a  hard  day's  work. 

But  the  skipper  came  not.  The  rain  came  on  thicker  and 
faster,  the  wind  also  increased,  and  was  soon  heard  to  whistle 
mournfully  through  the  rigging  of  the  ships  moored  further 
up  the  wharf. 

"  I  wish  the  captain  would  come !  "  exclaimed  Ned  Alanson, 
impatiently.  "  The  storm  is  getting  troublesome ;  my  tar 
paulin  's  leaky,  and  my  monkey  jacket  wants  a  collar." 

"  Never  mind  that,"  remarked  Ichabod  Watson.  "  It  will 
be  all  the  same  a  hundred  years  hence.  But  hark  !  how  the 
wind  howls  and  whistles  !  It  is  playing  a  tune  among  the 
standing  rigging  of  the  Hyder  Ali ;  a  melancholy  tune 
though,  which  reminds  me  of  the  plaintive  moan  of  a  ship 
mate  I  once  sailed  with,  whom  we  used  to  call  « Whistling 
Jack.'  Heaven  send  that  the  sad  music  bodes  no  evil  !  " 

"  Whistling  Jack !  "  exclaimed  Simon  Singleton,  with  a 
sepulchral  yawn.  "  Who  was  Whistling  Jack  ?  He  must 
have  been  a  queer  fellow." 

"  He  was  a  queer  fellow,"  replied  Ichabod,  "  and,  if  I 
thought  I  should  have  time  enough,  I  would  tell  you  about 
the  last  cruise  we  had  together." 

"Time  enough!  "  growled  Ned  Alanson.  "We  shall  have 
time  enough,  never  fear,  even  if  your  story  is  as  long  as  the 
maintop-bowline  and  the  flying-jib  downhaul  spliced  together. 
You  '11  have  time  enough,  and  to  spare ;  so  heave  ahead, 
and  spin  us  the  yarn  about  your  cruise ;  that 's  a  good  fel 
low." 

"  Well,"  replied  Ichabod,  "  I  've  no  objection,  and  it  may 
serve  to  pass  away  the  time.  As  for  taking  a  snooze  on  the 
stern  seats,  that 's  out  of  the  question.  One  might  as  well 
try  to  sleep  with  his  head  in  a  bucket  of  water.  So  here 
goes! 

"  It  was  somewhere  about  the  year  1822  or  '23,  I  don't 


180  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

recollect  which,  for  I  never  was  a  good  hand  at  dates, 
being  in  this  port,  and  my  money  all  spent,  —  I  was  a  great 
hand  at  spending  money  in  those  days,  —  I  shipped  on  board 
the  brig  Priam,  a  neat  little  vessel,  on  a  voyage  to  Belize  in 
Honduras.  The  brig  was  laden  -  with  a  choice  variety  of 
Yankee  notions,  and,  among  other  things,  as  I  learnt  after 
wards,  had  a  considerable  quantity  of  gunpowder,  in  kegs, 
stowed  away  in  the  run.  The  name  of  the  captain  was  Mc 
Gregor.  He  was  a  fine-looking  man,  and  a  thorough  sailor ; 
and,  although  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  he  was  no  bully, 
but  treated  his  sailors  like  men,  and  had  a  noble  heart  in 
his  bosom,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  some  captains  I 
have  sailed  with. 

"  Mr.  Hanjmond,  the  mate,  was  a  good  enough  sort  of  a 
fellow,  quiet  and  well-meaning;  but  one  who  would  never 
astonish  the  natives  by  his  talents  or  genius,  or  set  the  ocean 
on  fire,  as  the  white  bear  said  to  the  iceberg.  He  knew  how 
to  write  the  log,  take  a  meridian  altitude  of  the  sun,  and  keep 
a  good  watch ;  and  he  could  also  splice  the  main-brace,  and 
chew  tobacco  with  any  man  living.  There  were  four  men 
before  the  mast  beside  myself,  stout,  able-bodied  fellows,  who 
were  able  and  willing  to  do  their  whole  duty  as  sailors,  and 
scorned  to  ask  a  favor  of  any  man.  Three  of  them  were  natives 
of  New  England,  but  had  been  knocked  about  the  world  so 
long,  and  treated  so  roughly,  that  they  retained  but  few  traits 
of  the  Yankee  character,  excepting  open  hands,  generous 
hearts,  and  a  contempt  of  danger  in  whatever  form  it  might 
present  itself.  The  other,  whose  name,  according  to  his  pro 
tection,  was  John  Johnson,  but  better  known  on  board  as 
'  Whistling  Jack,'  was  a  strange  character.  He  was  rather 
advanced  in  life,  being  somewhere  between  forty-five  and  fifty 
years  of  age;  quite  an  old  man,  for  a  seafaring  occupation 
is  a  great  shortener  of  life.  No  one  knew  where  he  was  born, 
or  to  what  country  he  belonged.  He  had  doubtless  passed 


WHISTLING    JACK.  181 

through  many  eventful  scenes  ;  had  sailed  under  many  flags, 
and  braved  the  battle  as  well  as  the  storm,  in  different  hemi 
spheres.  He  was  illiterate,  the  victim  of  prejudices,  and  ex 
ceedingly  superstitious,  rather  self-willed,  but  shrewd,  good  at 
expedients,  fearing  nothing,  ready  at  all  times  for  whatever 
might  occur,  and  endowed  with  a  good  share  of  common  sense, 
fortified  by  experience  and  observation.  Nothing  was  known 
of  Jack's  history  excepting  that  he  lost  his  parents  at  a  very 
early  age,  and  when  only  nine  years  old  commenced  his  nau 
tical  career  in  the  capacity  of  cabin-boy.  Since  that  time, 
he  had  never  returned  to  his  home  ;  he  had  been  a  vagabond 
on  the  waters ;  he  had  never  enjoyed  the  sweets  of  domestic 
society ;  he  had  never  known  how  pleasant  it  is  to  listen  to 
the  voice  of  kindness  or  affection  from  a  relation,  or  even  a 
friend. 

"  And  yet  Jack  was  not  unhappy,  and  would  have  felt  in 
dignant  at  being  regarded  as  an  object  of  sympathy.  His 
home  was  the  forecastle  ;  and  he  loved  dearly  to  tread  the 
main  or  forecastle  deck  of  a  ship,  while  the  wind  was  howling 
and  whistling  through  the  rigging.  At  such  times  he  experi 
enced  as  much  enjoyment  as  the  enamored  swain,  accompa 
nied  by  his  lady  love,  wandering  through  flowery  paths  and 
shady  groves.  On  shore  he  was  out  of  his  element,  and  hav 
ing  no  taste  for  rational  enjoyments,  and  entertaining  a  su 
preme  contempt  for  land-lubbers,  spent  his  money  as  quickly 
as  possible,  and  away  to  sea  again.  When  old  Jack  stood  on 
the  forecastle,  in  a  dark  and  gloomy  night,  keeping  a  look-out 
on  the  weather  bow,  the  good  craft  plunging  furiouslv  along 
through  the  waves,  and  scattering  the  spray  in  showers  over 
the  decks,  with  a  grim  smile  he  would  try  to  take  a  survey  of 
the  world  of  waters  around  him,  and  exult  in  his  good  fortune 
while  he  pitied  the  poor  fellows  doomed  to  a  dull  and  monot 
onous  life  on  shore  all  their  days. 

"  Old  Jack  was  an  excellent  whistler.  His  pipe  was  aston- 
16 


182  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

ishingly  clear,  and  its  tone  as  rich  and  musical  as  the  voice 
of  a  mermaid.  This  musical  gift  was  by  many  supposed  to 
have  been  conferred  by  the  kind  act  of  a  good-natured  French 
man,  who  widened  his  mouth  some  one  or  two  inches  more 
than  nature  intended,  by  the  thrust  of  a  boarding-pike,  as 
Jack,  at  the  head  of  a  score  of  brave  fellows,  was  climbing 
up  the  side  of  a  French  vessel  of  war,  with  the  praiseworthy 
intent  of  carrying  her  by  boarding.  Be  that  as  it  will,  the 
slit  in  Jack's  face,  called  by  courtesy  a  mouth,  was  enormous 
ly  long,  a  little  on  one  side,  and  all  askew.  It  rather  added 
to  than  detracted  from  the  generally  unfavorable  appearance 
of  the  honest  sailor's  phiz. 

"  Jack  was  surnamed  '  the  Whistler  ; '  but  there  was  noth 
ing  frivolous,  lively  and  cheering  in  his  style  of  whistling.  It 
was  of  a  mild  and  plaintive  character.  He  did  not  often 
whistle ;  but  when  he  indulged  this  singular  gift,  there  was 
no  impatience,  as  is  usual,  manifested  by  the  officers  or  men  ; 
all  listened  to  his  outpourings  of  '  lillebulleroo,'  with  the 
closest  attention.  When  anything  occurred  to  give  a  melan 
choly  tone  to  his  reflections,  Jack  would  whistle  for  an  hour 
at  a  time,  while  walking  the  forecastle.  It  was  also  remarked 
by  those  of  his  shipmates  who  knew  him  well,  that  a  furious 
storm  was  never  known  to  burst  upon  the  heads  of  the  ship's 
company,  unless  they  had  been  previously  serenaded  by  Whis 
tling  Jack.  Indeed,  after  his  strange  gift  became  familiar  to 
a  ship's  company,  he  was  regarded  with  a  sort  of  mysterious 
awe  by  the  seamen,  and  with  interest  by  the  captain,  who  lis 
tened  to  his  melody  with  misgivings,  as  to  the  unerring  indica 
tor  of  a  tempest,  or  some  other  fearful  disaster. 

"  On  one  occasion,  during  a  voyage  from  New  Orleans  tc 
Havre,  in  the  months  of  January  and  February,  when  his  fre 
quent  and  prolonged  bursts  of  melody  were  succeeded  by  ter 
rific  storms,  the  crew  were  disposed  to  regard  him,  not  merely 
as  the  foreteller,  but  the  cause,  the  producer,  of  tempests,  and 


WHISTLING   JACK.  183 

held  a  serious  consultation  whether  it  were  not  advisable  to 
give  him,  like  another  Jonah,  a  sea-toss  into  the  briny  deep  ! 
And  this  they  would  have  done  without  ceremony,  had  they 
not  feared  that  disastrous  consequences  to  themselves  would 
have  followed  the  commission  of  such  an  act. 

"  Just  as  we  had  cast  off  from  the  wharf  at  Charleston,  two 
passengers  came  on  board  ;  Mr.  Calderon,  who  had  been 
established  as  a  merchant  at  Belize  for  several  years,  and  his 
daughter  Margaret,  who  had  just  completed  her  education  at 
a  boarding-school  in  Xew  England.  Margaret  Calderon  was 
a  lovely  and  interesting  girl,  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  of 
a  slight  and  delicate  figure,  and  a  sweet  but  pensive  expres 
sion  of  countenance.  She  seemed  all  kindness,  gentleness 
and  purity  ;  in  a  word,  she  was  a  noble  specimen  of  woman  ; 
and  no  one  but  a  cold-hearted,  unfeeling  brute,  —  a  lands 
man,  of  course,  —  would  have  hesitated  to  risk,  ay,  sacrifice 
his  life  to  avert  from  her  any  impending  evil,  and  contribute 
to  her  happiness.  Such  gentle  beings  are  out  of  place  at  sea, 
where  the  comforts  of  life  are  few,  where  society  is  rough  and 
unpolished,  and  appalling  perils  are  sometimes  met  with  on 
every  side. 

"  Well,  we  sailed  from  Charleston.  The  weather  was  de 
lightful,  the  sea  was  smooth,  and  the  brig  was  an  excellent  ves 
sel  of  her  class.  Captain  McGregor,  too,  was  kind  and  atten 
tive  to  his  passengers,  and  made  himself  particularly  agreeable 
to  Margaret.  Indeed,  all  was  harmony  and  frolic  on  board. 
Margaret  Calderon  was  charmed  to  find  everything  so  differ 
ent  from  what  she  was  prepared  to  expect,  and,  with  the  relish 
which  youth  and  innocence  impart,  truly  enjoyed  this  poetry 
of  the  sea.  During  the  greater  part  of  the  quiet  moonlight 
eights  she  would  remain  on  deck,  watching  the  course  of  the 
vessel  as  it  glided  almost  noiselessly  over  the  surface  of  the 
ocean,  or  gazing  with  surprise  and  pleasure  on  the  phospho 
rescent  track,  illumined  by  dazzling  flashes  of  light,  surpass- 


184  SALT   WATER  BUBBLES. 

ing  in  brilliancy  the  rays  reflected  from  the  purest  gems  of 
the  East. 

"  We  had  a  favorable  run  to  the  island  of  Abaco,  whose 
sandy  shores  and  wild,  uncultivated  soil,  covered  with  tropical 
shrubs,  elicited  the  admiration  of  our  fair  passenger.  We 
passed  the  '  Hole  in  the  Wall,'  a  well-known  natural  curios 
ity,  which  for  ages  has  been  a  land-mark  for  navigators.  We 
rounded  the  Berry  Islands,  and  entered  upon  the  Great  Ba 
hama  Bank,  where  the  sea  is  always  smooth,  and  the  water 
shoal,  and  so  transparent  that  every  object  on  the  bottom  can 
be  distinctly  seen,  and  where,  owing  to  the  disintegrated  white 
coral  limestone,  which  rests  upon  the  bottom,  the  waters  re 
semble  a  vast  ocean  of  milk,  so  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  We 
passed  quite  near  the  dangerous  rocks  on  the  edge  of  the  bank, 
known  as  the  Orange  Keys,  which  are  much  dreaded  by  sea 
men,  and  made  the  Double  Headed  Shot  Keys  on  the  Salt 
Key  Bank,  without  meeting  with  any  occurrence  calculated  to 
interrupt  the  pleasure  of  the  voyage. 

"  The  night  previous  to  our  reaching  the  Salt  Key  Bank, 
while  gently  gliding  over  the  Great  Bahama,  the  passengers 
being  on  deck  enjoying  the  tranquil  scene,  Whistling  Jack 
struck  up  one  of  his  plaintive  tunes,  which  attracted  the  at 
tention  and  excited  the  admiration  of  all  on  board.  He  was 
listened  to  in  silence,  and  when  he  was  inclined  to  cease  with 
his  music,  Captain  McGregor,  at  the  solicitation  of  Margaret, 
urged  him  to  proceed,  and  whistle  another  tune.  Thinks  I  to 
myself,  my  kind  friends,  if  you  knew  as  much  about  Whistling 
Jack's  music  as  I  do,  you  would  rather  hear  in*  full  chorus  a 
menagerie  of  wild  beasts,  or  a  glee  sung  by  donkeys  with  the 
frying-pan  accompaniments,  than  listen  to  a  solo  at  sea,  per 
formed  on  the  whistling  pipe  of  old  Jack. 

"The  next  morning  Captain  McGregor  was  walking  the 
quarter-deck,  while  I  was  at  the  helrn.  '  Captain,'  said  I, 


WHISTLING    JACK. 


185 


'we  shall  have  trouble  before  we  are  twenty-four  hours 
older.' 

"  '  Why  so,  my  lad  ? '  said  he. 

"  '  Because  I  have  never  known  old  Jack  to  whistle  as  he 
did  last  night  in  the  first  watch,  without  its  being  followed 
by  mischief ;  and  if  you  don't  fall  in  with  a  pirate,  en 
counter  a  hurricane,  or  run  the  good  vessel  hard  and  fast 
ashore  before  another  day,  then  I  'm  a  false  prophet,  that 's 
all!' 

"  '  Pooh,  pooh,  Ichabod ! '  said  he ;  'I  thought  you  had 
more  sense  than  to  encourage  such  idle  fancies.  I  never  seek 
to  foretell  evil,  or  to  borrow  trouble  ;  it  is  bad  enough  when 
it  comes.' 

"  The  wind  was  now  from  the  south-east,  blowing  a  fresh 
breeze,  with  a  brassy,  hazy  atmosphere.  The  sun  shone  dimly 
through  the  vapors,  and  his  rays  seemed  to  have  been  dipped 
in  bronze.  The  wind  gradually  increased,  as  it  hauled  further 
to  the  southward,  and  compelled  us  to  brace  up  the  yards.  In 
the  afternoon  it  blew  strong  from  the  south-west,  and  we  were 
obliged  to  haul  on  a  wind,  furl  top-gallant-sails,  and  take  a 
reef  in  the  topsails.  The  last  rays  of  the  sun  were  seen  through 
an  angry-looking,  coppery  sky ;  and  soon  after  that  luminary 
had  disappeared  beneath  the  horizon,  a  severe  gale  commenced 
from  north-north-west,  and  we  were  compelled  to  gather  in  the 
muslin  as  fast  as  possible,  until  we  hove  to  under  a  close- 
reefed  main-topsail.  The  wind  increased  until  it  became 
a  furious  hurricane,  a  '  norther,'  as  such  a  storm  in  those  lati 
tudes  is  called,  and  we  could  show  nothing  to  the  tempest  but 
bare  poles.  Our  main-topsail  was  blown  from  the  yard  ;  our 
courses  were  forced  from  their  gaskets,  and  torn  into  ribbons ; 
the  brig  was  blown  over  almost  on  her  beam-ends,  and  the 
seas  were  striking  against  her  broad-side,  and  rushing  across 
her  decks,  straining  every  joint  in  the  old  Priam's  hull,  and 
opening  every  seam,  from  the  garboard  streak  to  the  plank- 
16* 


186  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

shear.  We  eased  her  a  little  by  cutting  away  her  topmasts, 
but  still  we  were  in  danger  of  foundering,  and  knew  she  had 
considerable  water  in  the  hold.  We  might  have  got  her 
before  the  wind,  and  she  would  have  scudded  along  as  dry 
and  as  safe  as  a  duck  in  a  pond,  but  alas !  the  whole  northern 
rock-bound  shore  of  Cuba  was  under  our  lee,  from  which  we 
were  not  distant  more  than  thirty  or  forty  miles,  and  towards 
which  we  were  rapidly  drifting ! 

"The  'norther'  continued- nearly  through  the  night  without 
abating  one  capfull  of  its  violence ;  and  a  terrible  night  it  was 
for  all  on  board,  but  especially  for  the  poor  passengers  in  the 
cabin,  who  had  never  before  experienced  the  discomforts  and 
perils  of  a  hurricane  at  sea.  That  beautiful  girl,  if  she  should 
live  a  century,  will  never  forget  that  dreadful  night  on  the 
coast  of  Cuba. 

"  The  wind  died  away  towards  morning,  and  when  day 
light  broke  in  the  east,  and  our  plight  could  be  seen,  it  was 
miserable  enough.  Our  sails  were  nearly  all  blown  away  ; 
our  topmasts  were  lying  alongside ;  our  decks  were  swept 
fore  and  aft ;  our  bulwarks,  long-boat,  caboose,  spare  spars, 
&c.,  washed  overboard,  and  there  was  a  large  quantity  of 
water  in  the  hold.  Our  men  were  completely  exhausted  and 
worn  out  with  the  arduous  duties  and  labors  of  the  previous 
twelve  hours.  Our  vessel  was  thus  unmanageable,  and,  to 
crown  our  misfortunes,  we  could  see  through  the  morning 
mists  the  breakers  dashing  against  the  rock-bound  coast  of 
Cuba,  at  a  distance  of  only  a  few  miles.  With  a  tremendous 
sea  or  swell  heaving  directly  on  shore,  there  seemed  to  be 
nothing  to  prevent  our  being  shipwrecked  on  the  reefs,  in  the 
course  of  a  few  hours.  But  what  sudden  vicissitudes  occur  in, 
ihc  life  of  a  sailor  !  As  the  mists  cleared  away,  every  heart 
was  rejoiced  to  see  under  our  lee  the  Spanish  flag  waving  over 
the  Moro  castle,  the  frowning  fortress  that  commands  the 
entrance  into  the  harbor  of  Havana  ! 


WHISTLING   JACK.  187 

"  "We  were  saved  from  destruction.  The  helm  was  put  up ; 
the  yards  squared,  and,  in  a  short  time,  instead  of  being 
dashed  on  the  rocks,  we  were  snugly  anchored  in  one  of  the 
finest  harbors  in  the  world  ! 

"  Some  weeks  passed  away  before  the  Priam  was  put  in 
a  condition  to  continue  the  voyage.  In  the  mean  time  our 
passengers  had  time  to  recruit.  But  the  dangers  which 
threatened  our  vessel  during  the  hurricane  were  not  easily 
forgotten,  and  rumors  of  piracies  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and 
off  the  Isle  of  Pines  had  a  tendency  to  awaken  serious  appre 
hensions  in  the  minds  of  the  passengers.  Mr.  Calderon 
shuddered  when  he  looked  upon  his  daughter,  and  thought  of 
her  fearful  fate,  should  she  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  pirates, 
and  at  one  time  concluded  to  send  her  back  to  the  United 
States,  which  project,  in  consequence  of  the  remonstrances  of 
Margaret,  who  longed  to  see  her  mother  and  other  members 
of  the  family,  from  whom  she  had  been  long  separated,  he 
afterwards  abandoned. 

"  Mr.  Hammond,  the  mate,  who  had  got  some  inklings  of 
the  musical  foreshadowings  of  evil  on  the  part  of  Whistling 
Jack,  and  who  regarded  him  as  a  doubtful  character,  that 
quite  likely  had  entered  into  a  sort  of  co-partnership  with  his 
cloven-footed  majesty,  strongly  urged  Captain  McGregor  to 
turn  him  adrift.  This  Captain  McGregor  refused  to  do,  and 
Hammond  predicted  that  all  sorts  of  evils  would  occur  during 
the  passage  to  Balize.  '  He  is  a  real  Jonah,'  sir,  said  he, 
*  and  if  he  goes  with  us  we  shall  have  to  throw  him  overboard 
before  we  pass  Cape  Antonio.' 

"Captain  McGregor  shook  his  head,  and,  with  a  signi 
ficant  smile,  replied,  '  Mr.  Hammond,  I  shall  turn  no  man 
out  of  my  ship,  but  if  any  one  wishes  to  leave  me,  even  your 
self,  sir,  I  shall  make  no  objection  whatever.' 

"  The  mate  was  silenced,  bit  his  lips,  and  turned  away. 
But,  on  the  eve  of  departure,  he  told  old  Jack  there  was  to 


188  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

be  no  more  whistling  on  board ;  «  and,'  said  he,  with  due 
emphasis,  '  I  '11  tell  you  what  it  is,  my  fine  fellow,  if  you 
screw  up  that  ill-looking  potato-trap  of  yours,  for  the  purpose 
of  whistling  dismal  tunes  to  give  us  all  the  blues,  and  raise 
old  Davy  Jones  himself  from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  I  '11 
find  some  way  to  take  a  sheep-shank  in  it,  which  will  keep 
you  from  whistling  again  as  long  as  you  live.' 

"  Jack  replied  not,  but  twisted  his  '  potato-trap '  into  a 
grin,  and  ogled  the  mate  with  his  cross-jack  eye. 

"  We  sailed  from  Havana.  The  good  old  brig,  as  she 
passed  the  Moro  Castle,  looked  as  neat  and  trig  as  a  maiden 
rigged  out  for  a  ball.  We  left  the  harbor  with  a  fair  wind, 
and  pleasantly  and  gracefully  the  gallant  vessel  again  danced 
and  bounded  over  the  dark  blue  sea.  Again  hope  cheered 
the  bosoms  of  all  on  board;  our  beautiful  lady  passenger 
seemed  to  have  renewed  her  buoyant  spirits,  and  proudly 
walked  the  deck,  supporting  herself  on  the  arm  of  the  capti 
vated  McGregor,  and  rallied  her  father  on  the  sad  forebodings 
in  which  he  had  indulged  before  leaving  the  port. 

"  Sailors  may  say  what  they  please  about  having  women  on 
board  ships  as  passengers.  It  cannot  be  that  the  charming 
creatures  should  always  bring  bad  luck.  It  is  much  more 
likely  that,  with  their  sweet  smiles,  their  gentle  dispositions 
and  pure  hearts,  their  presence  would  avert  threatening 
dangers,  or  prepare  the  hardy  mariners  to  meet  them  with 
resolution  and  energy.  And,  indeed,  if  the  worst  should  come 
to  the  worst,  I  would  rather  sink  with  them  than  float  without 
them. 

"  Before  we  came  up  with  the  Colorado  reef,  the  breeze 
died  away,  and,  for  some  two  or  three  days,  with  a  strong 
current  against  us,  we  hardly  gained  any  to  the  westward,  the 
wind  being  light  and  baffling.  On  the  fourth  night  out,  as  I 
lay  in  my  berth  thinking  about  home  and  my  kind  mother, 
and  regretting  that  I  had  been  such  a  fool  as  to  go  to  sea  for 


WHISTLING   JACK.  189 

a  living,  which,  whatever  Whistling  Jack  might  say,  is  really 
but  a  '  dog's  life '  after  all,  I  fancied  I  heard  Jack's  musical 
whistle  on  deck.  I  was  startled  at  the  sound,  which  I  felt  in 
my  heart  portended  some  dreadful  disaster,  and  sprung  from 
my  berth,  and  hastened  on  deck.  Sure  enough,  there  sat  the 
old  fellow,  coiled  up  on  the  bowsprit,  between  the  knight- 
heads,  and  whistling  away  one  of  his  most  dismal  tunes,  as  if 
for  a  wager.  I  was  irritated,  and  determined  to  put  his  pipe 
out,  and  spoil  his  music  for  a&  time  at  least.  Accordingly,  I 
took  a  bucket  of  salt  water,  and  walked  gently  forward,  until 
I  got  into  reaching  distance  of  this  musical  forerunner  of 
peril,  and  gave  him,  with  a  hearty  good  will,  the  contents  of 
the  bucket  on  his  distorted  phiz,  a  fair  portion  of  which 
must  have  entered  his  tunnel-shaped  mouth,  and  found  its 
way  down  his  windpipe,  for  his  mellifluous  whistle  was  on 
the  instant  transformed  into  a  suffocating  splutter;  and  while 
he  floundered  off  the  bowsprit  on  deck,  blowing  like  a  gram 
pus,  I  quietly  dove  below,  grinning  at  the  success  of  my 
undertaking !  But  who  shall  escape  his  destiny  ?  Jack's 
whistle,  interrupted  as  it  was,  involved  sad  consequences. 
Although  I  will  not  undertake  to  dispute  that  the  same  events 
would  not  have  happened,  if  Whistling  Jack  had  never  had 
existence. 

"  On  the  fifth  day  after  leaving  Havana,  with  a  light 
baffling  winds  and  a  strong  current  rushing  through  the 
narrow  strait  which  separates  Cuba  from  Yucatan,  we  found 
ourselves  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  to  the  northward  of 
Cape  Antonio,  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  was  about  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  when  a  fine  breeze  sprang  up  from 
the  east-south-east,  and  we  crowded  all  sail  on  a  wind  to 
the  southward,  with  the  expectation  of  soon  passing  the  Cape, 
already  notorious  for  the  many  piracies  which  had  been  com 
mitted  in  its  vicinity,  and,  entering  into  the  Caribbean  Sea, 
and  reaching  our  wished-for  port  in  the  Bay  of  Honduras. 


190  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

"  This  prospect  seemed  to  cheer  the  hearts  of  all  on  board. 
Even  Whistling  Jack,  by  a  sort  of  diagonal  grin,  manifested 
feelings  of  delight,  and  Miss  Calderon  could  hardly  contain 
her  transports.  She  clapped  her  little  hands  for  joy  when  she 
saw  the  noble  vessel  urged  rapidly  on  her  way  by  a  fresh 
and  delightful  breeze.  She  would  pass  along  the  deck  to  the 
bow,  and  watch  with  delight  the  ever- vary  ing  ripples  con 
stantly  forming  by  the  motion  of  the  vessel,  or  sit  on  the 
taffrail,  and  gaze  at  the  lingering  wake, 

*  Which,  like  a  wounded  snake,  dragged  its  slow  length  along.' 

"  Since  leaving  Havana,  we  had  seen  several  vessels,  pass 
ing  in  different  directions,  which,  at  a  glance,  were  known  as 
merchantmen  engaged  in  errands  connected  with  commerce. 
The  sight  of  a  stranger  on  the  ocean,  when  it  conjures  up 
no  fears  of  an  enemy  in  war,  or  a  pirate  in  peace,  forms  a 
pleasant  interruption  to  the  monotony  of  a  sea  voyage,  and 
our  fair  passenger  had  derived  much  gratification,  in  gazing 
on  their  snow-white  sails  and  graceful  movements,  as,  obedient 
to  the  controlling  power  on  their  decks,  they  glided  noiselessly 
over  the  surface  of  the  sea,  towards  their  wished-for  ports ; 
but  during  the  last  day  of  the  calm,  no  strange  vessel  was  tb 
be  seen  ;  the  Priam  seemed  alone  on  the  ocean. 

"  On  the  memorable  afternoon,  on  which  the  breeze  sprung 
up,  and  while  we  were  rapidly  approaching  Cape  Latouche,  in 
tending  to  keep  as  far  from  Cape  Antonio  as  possible,  I  was 
ordered  aloft  by  Mr.  Hammond  to  put  a  new  seizing  on  the 
Flemish  horse,  at  the  starboard  foretopsail  yard-arm.  After 
I  had  completed  the  job,  I  took  a  look  around  the  horizon, 
and,  shipmates,  I  must  confess,  a  chill  crept  over  me,  when  I 
saw,  about  four  points  on  the  weather-bow,  a  vessel  steering 
in  a  direction  which  would  soon  bring  her  close  aboard.  She 
was  a  small  schooner,  sitting  low  on  the  water,  with  raking 


WHISTLING    JACK.  U'l 

masts,  and  only  three  fore-and-aft  sails.  There  was  nothing 
in  itself  alarming  or  even  suspicious  in  her  appearance. 
Indeed,  she  resembled  a  friendly  pilot-boat,  such  as  are  fallen 
in  with  off  the  Capes  of  the  Chesapeake  or  Sandy  Hook,  and 
are  greeted  with  cheers  of  gladness  by  the  tempest-tost  mari 
ner  on  approaching  his  native  shore,  after  years  of  absence  in 
distant  seas.  But  the  appearance  of  such  a  vessel  in  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  carried  with  it  associations  of  a  different 
character,  —  piracy  and  murder,  —  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
tone  of  my  voice  might  have  betrayed  my  apprehensions,  when 
I  shouted,  '  Sail  ho  ! ' 

"  I  indicated  the  direction  in  which  the  vessel  was  seen, 
and  described  her  rig,  at  which,  I  fancied,  a  cloud  passed 
over  the  countenance  of  the  captain.  He  took  his  spy-glass 
with  him  to  the  fore-yard,  and  examined  the  stranger  long 
and  narrowly.  As  we  rapidly  neared  each  other,  the  schooner 
could  be  seen  from  the  deck,  and  became  an  object  of  scrutiny 
to  every  person  on  board.  From  the  grave  countenances 
around,  and  the  serious,  speaking  looks  which  were  exchanged, 
it  was  clear  that  the  strange  vessel  was  not  regarded  as  an 
object  of  welcome  or  delight. 

"  Margaret  Calderon  looked  up  in  her  father's  face,  but 
saw  there  nothing  to  allay  her  rising  suspicions  of  danger. 
She  turned  to  Captain  McGregor,  but  he  seemed  watching  the 
motions  of  the  schooner  with  fixed  and  eager  gaze,  as  if  he 
was  determined  to  penetrate  the  veil  which  concealed  the 
character  of  the  vessel. 

"  '  Captain  McGregor,'  said  Margaret,  earnestly,  laying 
her  hand  on  his  shoulder,  '  do  tell  me  what  you  think  of  that 
vessel.  Is  there  cause  for  alarm  ?  Do  you  think  —  do  you 
really  think —  0,  tell  me  the  truth  !  —  do  you  think  it  is  a 
pirate  ? ' 

"  McGregor  turned  round,  and  with  a  forced  smile  and  a 
gentle  voice,  replied,  *  I  will  not  conceal  from  you,  Miss  Cal- 


192  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

deron,  that  the  general  appearance  of  that  vessel  in  these 
seas,  and  the  course  which  she  is  steering,  combined  with  the 
many  rumors  which  were  in  circulation  in  Havana  when  we 
left  that  port,  furnish  some  cause  for  suspicion  that  all  about 
her  is  not  exactly  as  it  should  be.  Nevertheless,  our  suspi 
cions  may  be  unjust,  and  the  schooner  may  be  engaged  in  some 
honest  commercial  undertaking.' 

"  '  Perhaps,'  said  Mr.  Calderon  to  his  daughter,  '  she  is  a 
Yankee  -schooner  returning  to  New  Orleans,  after  supplying 
the  Cubanos  with  a  cargo  of  notions.' 

"  *  Or,'  said  McGregor,  *  perhaps  she  is  running  down  to 
Sisal,  the  bearer  of  important  intelligence  from  some  Ameri 
can  house  in  Havana.' 

"  Whistling  Jack,  who,  with  the  others  of  the  crew,  had 
been  silently  listening  to  the  conversation,  shook  his  head, 
and  muttered  as  if  in  soliloquy,  '  I  wish  it  might  prove  so  ; 
but  — '  and  he  gave  Margaret  a  look  which  expressed  a  vol 
ume  of  mournful  meaning.  The  color  forsook  her  cheeks,  and 
from  that  moment  she  sought  to  prepare  herself  for  the  worst 
which  might  happen. 

"  '  At  all  events,'  said  Captain  McGregor,  with  a  marked 
change  in  his  tone  and  manner,  '  I  will  soon  ascertain  his 
true  character.  Ready  about ! '  and  while  the  men  were 
mustering  to  their  stations,  he  conducted  Margaret  to  the 
quarter-deck.  The  pale  girl  refused  to  go  below,  but  stood 
in  the  companion-way,  while  the  evolution  was  carried  into 
effect. 

"  The  captain  gave  the  necessary  orders  with  his  usual 
decided  and  manly  tone,  and  the  brig  was  soon  on  the  other 
tack,  steering  to  the  north-eastward,  while  the  course  the 
schooner  was  pursuing  was  nearly  west  north-west.  Her  dis 
tance  at  this  moment  was  about  six  miles  in  a  south-east 
direction.  And  now  every  eye  was  directed  towards  the 
schooner,  while  intense  anxiety  was  witnessed  in  the  counte- 


WHISTLING    JACK.  193 

nance  of  every  man  on  board.  At  length,  Mr.  Hammond 
broke  the  silence  by  a  boisterous  <  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  —  I  knew 
there  was  no  cause  for  alarm.  That  fellow  is  about  his  reg 
ular  business,  and,  if  we  let  him  alone,  I  ;11  be  bound  he  will 
let  us  alone  ; '  and  the  smile  of  exultation,  as  he  concluded 
his  remarks,  showed  that  his  heart  was  relieved  of  a  very 
heavy  load. 

"Hardly  had  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Hammond  escaped  his 
lips,  when  a  movement  occurred  on  board  the  schooner  which 
falsified  his  prediction.  That  vessel  suddenly  changed  her 
course,  jibed  ship,  hauled  her  wind  to  the  northward,  and 
steered  directly  for  the  brig.  If  any  doubts  had  existed  in 
the  mind  of  McGregor  before,  respecting  the  piratical  charac 
ter  of  the  stranger,  they  were  now  dispelled.  '  It  is  a  pirate  ! ' 
said  he,  in  a  low,  but  distinct  tone. 

"  *  It  is,  indeed  ! '  responded  Mr.  Calderon.  '  My  poor 
Margaret !  What  will  become  of  her  ?  ' 

"  '  Don't  be  unnecessarily  alarmed,'  exclaimed  the  captain. 
'  We  may  yet  succeed  in  giving  her  the  slip,  under  cover  of  the 
night.  What  man  can  do  shall  be  done.  At  all  events,  if  we 
cannot  escape,  we  can  fight ;  and  it  is  better  to  die  with  arms 
in  our  hands,  than  to  surrender  without  a  blow,  and  be  after 
wards  slaughtered  like  sheep  in  the  shambles,  or  strung  up 
like  dogs  at  the  yard-arm.' 

"  And  now  McGregor  proved  that  he  possessed  energy  and 
resolution  meet  for  the  occasion.  He  ordered  the  brig  to  be 
kept  off  the  wind  some  two  or  three  points; — the  yards  were 
braced  in,  so  that  every  sail  would  draw,  and  the  main  and 
fore  topmast  and  top-gallant  studding-sails  were  set ;  the 
flying-jib,  royals  and  staysails  of  every  kind  were  hoisted,  and 
a  careful  man  was  placed  at  the  helm.  Wrhips  were  prepared 
for  hoisting  water  aloft,  and  the  sails,  from  the  jack  cross-trees 
down,  were  kept  saturated  with  salt  water.  The  good  vessel 
seemed  to  respond  to  the  wishes  of  her  commander ;  and,  like 
17 


194  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

a  gallant  steed,  strained  every  nerve  to  distance  her  pursuer. 
But  the  breeze  seemed  to  die  away  as  the  sun  approached  the 
horizon,  and  the  Priam's  crew  were  compelled  to  admit,  though 
reluctantly,  the  unwelcome  fact  that  the  schooner  sailed  three 
feet  to  their  two !  Captain  McGregor,  finding  that  escape  was 
hopeless,  lost  no  time  in  making  preparations  for  embracing 
the  only  alternative  remaining.  There  were  some  half-dozen 
muskets  on  board,  and  a  few  cutlasses  and  boarding-pikes. 
The  muskets  were  loaded  with  buck-shot,  and  arrangements 
were  entered  into  for  making  a  desperate  resistance.  Cap 
tain  McGregor  harangued  his  men ;  he  told  us,  what  was  true 
enough,  that  it  was  better  to  die  like  brave  men,  with  arms  in 
our  hands,  nobly  fighting  for  our  lives,  than  to  submit  like 
cowards,  and  afterwards  be  massacred  in  cold  blood.  He 
reminded  us  also  that  there  was  a  woman  on  board,  whose 
honor  as  well  as  life  was  at  stake,  and  that  no  true  Yankee 
sailor  was  ever  known  to  desert  a  woman  in  distress,  or  to 
hesitate  to  sacrifice  his  life  for  her  protection. 

"  He  was  replied  to  by  three  cheers,  such  as  sailors  only 
know  how  to  give ;  and  we,  one  and  all,  pledged  ourselves  to 
stand  by  him  so  long  as  we  were  able  to  handle  a  musket  or 
wield  a  cutlass  or  a  handspike.  Mr.  Calderon  joined  the 
captain  in  thanking  us  for  our  devotion.  He  was  a  man  of 
courage  and  spirit,  notwithstanding  he  was  not  much  of  a 
sailor ;  and  it  was  plain  that  his  only  fear  was  for  the  fate  of 
his  daughter. 

"  There  was  only  one  person  on  board  who  did  not  partici 
pate  in  the  general  enthusiasm  ;  and  that  was  Mr.  Hammond, 
the  mate.  In  a  moody,  discontented  tone,  he  addressed  him 
self  to  the  captain,  and  asked  him  if  with  only  eight  men 
besides  the  cook,  all  told,  and  no  large  guns,  he  thought  of 
resisting  the  pirates. 

"  McGregor's  face  grew  as  dark  as  night,  and  a  frown 
gathered  upon  his  brow ;  but  apparently  with  a  strong  effort 


WHISTLING    JACK. 


195 


he  controlled  his  feelings,  and  nodded  in  the  affirmative.  But, 
when  Hammond  remonstrated,  in  a  mutinous  spirit,  against 
such  a  desperate  course,  suggesting  that  life  was  dear  to  him, 
at  least,  and  he  had  no  idea  of  sacrificing  it  for  any  woman 
that  ever  lived,  and  that  the  only  way  of  saving  our  lives 
was  to  heave  the  brig  to,  at  once,  and  make  no  show  of  re 
sistance,  the  patience  of  the  manly  McGregor  was  overcome. 
With  one  blow  of  his  clenched  fist,  ,he  stretched  the  craven- 
hearted  wretch  upon  the  deck  ;  and,  as  this  faithless  officer 


attempted  to  rise,  he  was  greeted  with  derisive  shouts  of 
laughter  from  the  noble  tars,  and  the  stern  tones  of  McGre 
gor's  voice,  as  he  said,  *  You  despicable  scoundrel,  if  you  wish 
to  save  your  worthless  life,  obey  my  orders  to  the  letter,  and 
do  your  duty  like  a  man  !  If  I  see  you  flinch  from  those  cut 
throats,  beg  for  quarter,  or  exhibit  the  slightest  sign  of  fear 
for  the  safety  of  your  own  miserable  carcass,  during  the  com- 


196  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

ing  fight,  I  will  shoot  you  through  the  head  with  as  little  re 
morse  as  I  would  the  leader  of  the  band  of  pirates  ! ' 

"  Margaret  had  gone  below  as  soon  as  the  true  character 
of  the  schooner  had  been  ascertained,  overcome  with  fear,  as 
Mr.  McGregor  and  her  father  supposed,  at  the  prospect  of  the 
peril  which  was  impending.  But  she  soon  appeared  again  on 
deck,  with  a  slight  change  in  her  costume,  approaching  to  the 
Amazonian.  Her  dress  was  somewhat  abridged,  and  looped 
up  on  one  side,  so  as  to  offer  no  impediment  to  the  free  exer 
cise  of  her  limbs.  Her  hair,  which  usually  fell  in  luxuriant 
ringlets  about  her  swan-like  neck,  was  now  gathered  and  con 
cealed  from  view  beneath  an  embroidered  velvet  cap,  belong 
ing  to  her  father.  She  wore  a  dagger  at  her  girdle,  and  the 
compression  of  her  lip,  and  the  fire  which  sparkled  in  her 
dark  eye,  proclaimed  her  determination  to  share  the  dangers 
of  the  approaching  strife,  and  to  mingle  in  the  combat  which 
must  decide  her  destiny,  and  die  rather  than  fall  alive  into 
the  hands  of  the  pirates. 

"  Her  appearance  on  deck  excited  the  surprise  of  her  father, 
and  the  admiration  of  McGregor.  Our  hardy  tars  regarded 
her  with  feelings  of  mingled  delight  and  respect ;  they  vener 
ated  her  as  a  being  of  a  superior  order  ;  and  Whistling  Jack, 
giving  Hammond  a  savage  look,  said  that  the  man  who  would 
talk  of  surrendering  to  pirates,  while  such  an  angelic  spirit 
was  on  board,  deserved  to  be  keel-hauled  first,  and  afterwards 
hanged. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  the  wind  had  in  a  great  measure  died 
away,  yet  the  schooner,  impelled  by  sweeps  as  well  as  the 
gentle  breeze,  was  rapidly  coming  up.  As  the  sun  was  sink 
ing  beneath  the  horizon,  the  p'irate  vessel  was  not  more  than 
a  couple  of  miles  off.  A  blood-red  flag  was  waving  at  her 
peak,  and  her  decks  were  actually  covered  with  men.  A 
gleam  of  satisfaction  shot  across  the  countenance  of  Captain 
McGregor,  as,  after  a  careful  examination  through  his  glass, 


WHISTLING    JACK.  197 

he  announced  the  fact  that  there  was  no  large  gun  on  the 
deck  of  the  schooner.  *  The  rascals  ! '  said  he,  '  mean  to  run 
alongside,  and  carry  us  by  boarding.  We  will  keep  quiet, 
until  they  are  huddled  together  for  the  rush  upon  our  decks ; 
then  give  them  a  well-directed  volley  from  our  small  arms, 
seize  our  cutlasses  and  boarding-pikes,  and  show  how  bravely 
true-hearted  men  can  fight  when  they  fight  for  their  lives.' 

"  At  this  moment,  Whistling  Jack  approached  the  captain, 
and  in  a  whisper  suggested  something  which  seemed  to  meet 
his  hearty  concurrence.  At  the  end  of  their  conference  he 
seized  that  worthy  tar  by  the  hand,  shook  it  heartily,  and 
exclaimed  aloud,  « The  idea  is  a  good  one,  Jack.  The  exper 
iment  shall  be  tried,  and,  my  good  fellow,  if  we  escape  from 
the  peril  which  threatens  us,  —  and  I  feel  confident  we  shall, 
—  while  Alexander  McGregor  lives,  you  shall  never  want  a 
friend.  Muster  this  way,  my  lads,'  continued  the  captain, 
addressing  the  crew,  '  get  tackles  aloft !  Clear  out  the  long 
boat,  and  get  all  ready  for  hoisting  it  over  the  side.' 

"  The  men  caught  the  idea,  and  went  to  work  with  wonder 
ful  alacrity.  It  seemed  but  a  few  minutes  before  the  tackles 
were  rove  and  hooked  on,  the  lashings  were  cut,  some  small 
spars  and  sails,  some  breakers  of  water,  and  a  quantity  of 
provisions,  a  miscellaneous  collection,  were  deposited  in  the 
boat,  which  was  soon  in  a  condition  to  be  placed  in  the  water, 
over  the  larboard  gunwale,  at  a  moment's  warning. 

"  '  If  the  wind  dies  away,'  said  the  captain  to  Mr.  Cal- 
deron  and  Margaret,  « we  will  take  to  the  boat  as  soon  as 
it  is  dark,  or  as  soon  as  we  can  place  the  broadside  of  the 
brig  between  the  boat  and  the  pirate,  to  protect  us  from 
the  shower  of  bullets,  which  they  will  otherwise  send  among 
us!' 

"  Twilight  in  those  latitudes  is  short,  yet  the  schooner 
approached  so  rapidly,  that,  ere  the  brig  was  enveloped  in 
17* 


198  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

darkness,  the  dip  of  the  pirate's  sweeps  could  be  distinctly 
heard. 

"  '  Now,'  said  McGregor,  in  a  low,  but  firm  and  determined 
tone,  '  hard  down  your  helm,  my  lad  ! ' 

"  The  brig,  which  was  proceeding  at  the  rate  of  some  three 
or  four  knots,  came  to  the  wind  at  once ;  her  sails  were  taken 
aback,  and  she  lay  motionless  as  a  log  on  the  ocean. 

"  *  Lower  away  the  boat ! '  said  McGregor.  The  long-boat 
which  had  for  some  time  been  suspended  over  the  lee  gunwale, 
was  floating  in  the  water,  almost  before  the  words  were  out  of 
his  mouth. 

"  '  One  volley,  before  we  go ! '  shouted  McGregor,  as  he 
seized  a  loaded  musket.  '  Let  us  leave  some  remembrance 
behind  us ; '  and  his  example  was  followed  by  the  crew. 

"  The  schooner  was  now  within  pistol  shot,  directly  on  our 
starboard  beam,  heading  towards  us,  and  her  forecastle  and 
jib-boom  were  full  of  men,  ready  to  board  as  soon  as  she 
struck  our  side,  and  cut  down  every  man  upon  our  decks. 
They  little  expected  the  storm  of  bullets  and  buck-shot  which 
now  fell  among  them,  and  which,  from  the  fearful  shrieks 
and  yelling  which  followed,  must  have  done  terrible  execu 
tion.  But  there  was  now  no  time  to  be  lost.  '  In,  into  the 
boat,  every  man  !  In  for  your  lives  ! '  and,  as  McGregor 
spoke,  he  handed  the  slight  form  of  Margaret  into  the  hands 
of  her  father.  At  this  moment,  a  volley  of  musket  balls,  sent 
by  the  pirates,  rattled  among  the  rigging.  But  no  one  was 
injured,  excepting  the  unlucky  Hammond,  who  was  shot 
through  the  body,  as  he  was  passing  over  the  gunwale,  and 
fell  alongside. 

"  '  Are  we  all  in  ?  '  cried  the  captain,  as  he  leaped  from  the 
gangway  into  the  stern  seats.  '  If  so,  shove  off!  Take  your 
oars,  men,  and  pull  for  your  lives  ! ' 

"  The  boat  was  hardly  a  couple  of  oars'  lengths  from  the 
brig,  ere  the  pirate  struck  the  brig  amidships,  and,  amid  a  din 


WHISTLING    JACK.  199 

of  arms,  horrid  oaths,  and  execrations,  a  swarm  of  pirates 
sprang  on  board,  and  took  possession  of  the  deck  ! 

"  At  this  critical  moment,  McGregor  saw  that  another  of 
our  crew,  besides  Hammond,  was  missing.  «  Where  is  Whist 
ling  Jack  ?  '  he  exclaimed. 

"  '  Massa,'  replied  the  cook,  a  stalwart  negro,  who  was 
already  doing  faithful  duty  at  the  oar,  '  I  don't  know  where 
he  be  now,  but  jus'  before  we  shooted  at  dem  rascals,  he 
asked  me  whereabouts  in  the  run  the  gunpowder  was  stowed, 
and  then  took  a  pistol,  and  went  down  the  companion-way.' 

"  '  Poor  fellow  !  I  understand  it  all  now.  Faithful  to  the 
last !  Give  way,  my  good  men,  if  you  would  see  the  light  of 
another  day.' 

"  '  Poor  Jack  ! '  exclaimed  Margaret,  whose  kind  feelings, 
even  in  this  extremity,  urged  her  to  think  of  others.  *  Can 
nothing  be  done  to  save  him  ? ' 

"  But  McGregor,  thrusting  the  tiller  into  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Calderon,  seized  the  after  oar,  aiding  with  his  powerful  arm 
to  force  the  boat  through  the  water,  and  exclaimed,  with 
frantic  energy,  '  Give  way,  men  !  A  few  more  strokes  of 
the  oar  !  Give  way,  for  your  lives  ! ' 

"  At  this  moment  the  pirates,  having  discovered  the  escape 
of  the  crew,  uttered  a  shout  of  rage  and  disappointment,  and 
commenced  firing  upon  the  boat,  which  could  be  dimly  seen, 
a  dark  object  amid  the  surrounding  darkness.  A  few  bullets 
whistled  over  the  heads  of  the  fugitives,  when,  suddenly,  the 
whole  ocean  around,  and  the  heavens  above,  seemed  lighted 
up  with  unearthly  fires,  at  the  same  instant  a  terrific  explo 
sion  took  place,  which  seemed  to  shake  the  waters  .  beneath 
and  the  atmosphere  around,  producing  upon  the  senses  a 
stunning  and  appalling  effect,  which  was  followed  by  a  strange 
splashing  in  the  water,  in  every  direction,  caused  by  a  shower 
of  fragments  of  plank,  and  timber,  and  human  bodies,  which 


200  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

seemed  to  come  down  from  the  clouds ;  this  was  succeeded  by 
darkness  and  the  stillness  of  death  ! 

"  Whistling  Jack,  as  soon  as  the  brig  was  in  possession  of 
the  pirates,  had  flashed  a  pistol  among  the  gunpowder-kegs 
in  the  run,  and  blown  both  vessels  into  ten  thousand  frag 
ments  ! 

"  The  sea  around  was  covered  with  the  portions  of  the  wreck. 
Some  pieces  of  plank  fell  into  the  boat,  but  without  causing 
serious  injury  to  any  one  on  board.  Of  all  that  band  of  fero 
cious  pirates,  who,  a  moment  before,  trod  the  decks  of  those 
vessels,  instigated  by  the  most  demoniacal  passions,  and 
breathing  curses,  hatred,  and  vengeance,  in  their  disappoint 
ment  of  imbruing  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  their  unoffend 
ing  fellow-men,  not  one  was  left !  All,  all,  were  cut  off  in 
the  midst  of  their  horrible  iniquities. 

"  The  rest  of  the  story  is  soon  told.  Little  was  said  among 
us  that  night.  But,  shipmates,  there  was  not  a  man  in  that 
boat,  who  did  not,  in  his  inmost  soul,  feel  devoutly  grateful 
to  a  kind  Providence  for  our  deliverance  from  the  power  of 
the  pirates.  Sailors  say  but  little  about  these  things,  and 
are,  undoubtedly,  sinful  in  many  ways ;  but,  you  know,  in 
the  hour  of  danger  they  feel  a  deep  reliance  on  the  protect 
ing  hand  of  God. 

"  When,  on  the  following  morning,  daylight  beamed  in  the 
east,  many  an  anxious  glance  was  directed  abroad,  in  the 
hope  of  discovering  some  friendly  vessel  to  rescue  us  from 
our  perilous  position ;  and  the  first  rays  of  the  sun  were  re 
flected  from  the  white  sails  of  a  large  American  ship,  which, 
under  the  influence  of  a  favorable  breeze,  was  moving  rapidly 
towards  us.  A  signal  was  made  from  the  boat.  We  were 
seen,  —  the  ship  was  hove  to,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  we  were 
alongside  of  the  ship  Daffodil,  of  Boston,  bound  to  New 
Orleans.  We  were  received  with  a  true  sailor's  welcome,  and 
Margaret  Calderon  was  treated  with  all  the  tenderness  and 


WHISTLING    JACK.  201 

respect  which  was  due  to  her  forlorn  condition  and  her 
sex." 

Here  Ichabod  unexpectedly  brought  his  narrative  to  a  close  ; 
but  his  grumbling  audience  did  not  seem  to  be  fully  satisfied. 
"  What  became  of  Margaret  ?  "  demanded  Ned  Alanson. 

"  Yes,  —  and  what  became  of  McGregor  ? "  muttered  old 
Simon  Singleton. 

"  Why,"  replied  Ichabod,  "  they  were  spliced  together,  of 
course,  soon  after  they  reached  New  Orleans.  The  last  time 
I  saw  them,  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  Boston.  McGregor, 
with  a  countenance  as  happy  as  that  of  a  favored  lover,  was 
standing  in  a  flower-garden,  in  front  of  a  neat  little  cottage, 
gathering  flowers,  which  he  was  throwing  into  the  lap  of 
Margaret,  who  stood  by,  her  features  illumined  by  the  smile 
of  happiness,  while  two  little  chubby  McGregors  were  gam 
bolling  and  frolicking  on  the  gravel  walk." 

Just  then  a  loud  and  sonorous  whistle  was  heard  by  the 
boat's  crew,  in  their  immediate  neighborhood.  "  There 's 
Whistling  Jack,  himself!  "  exclaimed  Ned  Alanson. 

"  Not  so  good  a  man,"  quietly  remarked  Ichabod.  "  It  's 
only  the  captain  !  Ay,  ay,  sir,  here  we  are,  at  the  end  of 
the  wharf." 

"  0,  you  are  there,  are  you,  you  sleepy  scoundrels !  I 
should  have  thought  it  rained  hard  enough  to  keep  you 
awake,"  said  the  captain,  in  a  hoarse,  surly,  and  somewhat 
inarticulate  voice.  "  Well,  haul  to  the  stern  of  the  boat,  and 
spread  the  boat-cloak.  That 's  it !  Shove  off,  and  give  way  ! 
Let 's  get  on  board  before  't  is  broad  daylight,  and  before  I 
get  thoroughly  soaked,  outside  as  well  as  in.  Give  way,  I 
guy." 

••  AY,  AY,  SIR  !  "  was  the  obedient  response  of  the  boat's 
crew. 


THE   STUTTERING   CAPTAIN. 

"  He  who  seldom  speaks,  and  with  one  well-timed  word  can  strike 
dumb  the  loquacious,  is  either  a  genius  or  a  hero."  —  LAVATER. 

MANY  years  ago,  a  well-known  shihmaster  sailed  out  of 
Boston,  named  Nicholas  Throgmorton.  He  was  a  short, 
stout-built,  broad-shouldered  man,  of  great  personal  strength 
and  activity ;  a  good  seaman,  a  skilful  navigator,  and  pos 
sessed  of  very  respectable  business  qualifications.  But  it  is 
difficult  to  find  perfection  in  any  one  individual,  and  Captain 
Throgmorton,  although  he  could  boast  of  iron  lungs,  and  vocal 
organs  of  tremendous  force,  —  his  voice  resembling,  in  tone 
and  power,  the  roaring  of  a  veteran  alligator,  —  was  affected 
with  an  unfortunate  impediment  in  his  speech,  which  some 
times  was  the  means  of  placing  him  in  awkward,  not  to  say 
critical,  situations ;  "  in  short,"  as  Mr.  Micawber  would  say, 
"  he  stuttered  abominably  !  " 

Now  a  man  living  in  a  handsome  style  on  shore,  pursuing 
a  regular  routine  of  occupation,  may  rub  along  through  the 
world  passably  well,  if  he  should  be  able  to  talk  only  by  jerks, 
or  even  if  he  should  not  be  able  to  talk  at  oil.  But  with  a 
shipmaster  the  case  is  different.  Occasions  sometimes  occur, 
when  it  is  necessary  for  him  not  only  to  speak  without  hesita 
tion,  but  to  speak  loud,  clear,  and  distinctly  ;  his  voice  should 
sound  like  a  bugle  note,  and  be  always  at  command,  with  the 
machinery  well  oiled  and  in  order,  ready  for  use  by  day  or 
by  night,  in  storm  or  calms.  Now  it  is  not  remarkable  that 
Captain  Nicholas  Throgmorton,  who  was  of  a  temperament 


THE    STUTTERING    CAPTAIN.  203 

somewhat  excitable,  and  of  a  temper  a  little  inclined  to  the 
choleric,  should  sometimes  suffer  inconvenience  from  this  im 
pediment  in  his  speech,  and  the  many  scrapes  into  which  he 
was  plunged  by  his  stuttering  habit  should  serve  as  a  warn 
ing  to  those  who  cannot  speak  out  promptly,  like  a  man,  in 
difficulties  and  storms,  and  on  all  necessary  occasions,  to 
eschew  a  seafaring  life. 

Captain  Throgmorton  could  converse  with  tolerable  fluency 
upon  ordinary  occasions.  He  might  now  and  then  hesitate  a 
little,  but  would  clap  on  fresh  sail,  or,  as  a  landsman  would 
say,  additional  steam,  and  start  ahead  again,  as  if  he  had 
met  with  no  obstacle  in  his  course.  But  when  he  became 
excited,  and  attempted  to  express  his  feelings  in  emphatic, 
language,  he  sometimes  made  terrible  work,  and  reminded  one 
of  a  stately  ship,  scudding  gallantly  under  close-reefed  top 
sails  and  foresail,  being  brought  up  all  standing,  by  striking 
against  a  rock. 

It  is  a  singular  fact  that  any  phrase  which  stuck  in  the 
worthy  captain's  throat,  seemed  to  grow  in  volume  and  in 
sound  the  longer  it  remained  there.  Like  gunpowder,  the 
closer  it  was  pent  up,  the  louder  was  the  explosion  when  it 
did  take  place ;  and  the  effect  which  this  expanded  voice 
sometimes  produced  was  tremendous  !  He  once  got  involved 
in  an  unpleasant  scrape  in  Marseilles,  and  found  himself  sur 
rounded  by  some  half  a  dozen  rowdy  Frenchmen,  who  seemed 
disposed  to  treat  him  with  disrespect  and  insolence.  They 
even  laughed  in  his  face  when  he  attempted  to  check  their 
impertinence ;  but,  at  last,  his  anger  was  roused ;  he  raised 
his  voice,  and  exclaimed,  in  a  tone  which  astonished  his  tor 
mentors,  "  You  are  a  set  of  frog-eating  b — b — b — b — ." 

But  here  he  stuck  fast !  The  word  was  in  his  windpipe, 
and  obstinately  refused  to  leave  the  premises,  and  the  French 
men,  at  first  amused,  became  quite  startled  when  they  saw 
his  broad  cheeks  grow  red  as  scarlet,  the  veins  of  his  neck 


204  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

swell  almost  to  bursting,  his  eyes  become  bloodshot,  resem 
bling  coals  of  fire,  and  all  his  features  convulsed  with  anger 
and  agony,  while  he  repeated,  with  commendable  perseverance, 
the  nether  fragment  of  some  invisible  word  —  "b — b — bl." 
But  when,  with  an  extraordinary  exertion,  and  a  horrible 
grimace,  the  word  "  BLACKGUARDS  "  at  last  bolted  out, 
and  fell  suddenly  upon  them,  it  was  as  if  a  bomb-shell  had 
been  thrown  at  their  feet !  For  a  moment  they  were  riveted  to 
the  spot  —  the  next  they  put  in  requisition  their  locomotive 
powers,  and  scampered  off  with  praiseworthy  celerity,  leaving 
Captain  Throgmorton  alone  in  his  glory  ! 

Whenever  the  captain  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  hesitation, 
like  most  other  men  in  similar  circumstances,  he  disliked 
exceedingly  to  have  any  one  come  to  his  relief,  by  anticipat 
ing  and  pronouncing  the  words,  which,  it  was  evident,  were 
struggling  to  make  their  exit  from  their  narrow  prison.  He 
was  averse  to  doing  things  by  proxy,  and  loved  to  give  his 
orders  himself.  A  mate  of  his,  named  Tompkins,  who  once 
undertook  to  give  him  assistance,  when  he  found  him  hard 
and  fast  upon  a  shoal,  received  a  severe  lesson,  which  he  ever 
after  remembered.  They  were  about  speaking  a  ship  at  sea, 
and  Captain  Throgmorton  was  very  anxious  to  know  the  com 
puted  longitude  of  the  stranger,  who,  evidently,  had  not  been 
long  from  port.  The  colors  were  hoisted,  and  the  vessels 
approached  each  other  rapidly.  The  wind  blew  fresh,  and 
Captain  Throgmorton  backed  his  main-topsail,  just  before  the 
strange  vessel  came  within  hail.  She  came  dashing  along, 
with  a  free  wind,  and  proved  to  be  the  brig  Honeysuckle, 
Captain  Huff,  seven  days  from  Norfolk,  bound  to  Gibral 
tar. 

The  questions  which  elicited  this  information  were  put  by 
Captain  Throgmorton  without  any  hesitation.  But  when  he 
was  desirous  of  knowing  their  estimated  longitude,  his  anxiety 
caused  him  to  stammer  most  outrageously.  "  What  is  your 


THE    STUTTERING    CAPTAIN.  205 

1—1— Ion —  "  shouted  he,  at  the  top  of  his  voice.  "  What  is 
your  1 — 1 — 1 —  "  repeated  he,  with  frantic  gestures. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  ship  was  gliding  past,  and  the  mo 
ments  were  precious.  Mr.  Tompkins  saw  that  the  captain 
had  a  snag  in  his  throat,  and  that  the  words  could  not  come 
out,  unless  they  were  bowsed  out  with  a  watch-tackle,  and 
as  that  might  prove  a  tough  job,  he  clapped  his  hand  to  his 
own  mouth,  and  called  out,  with  a  clear  and  deep  intonation, 
"  "What  is  your  longitude  ?  "  But  the  next  moment  he  was 
sprawling  on  the  quarter-deck,  having  been  felled  by  a  blow 
on  his  cocoa-nut,  from  the  speaking-trumpet  in  the  hands  of 
the  indignant  Captain  Throgmorton  ! 

In  the  English  language  there  are  many  synonymes,  or 
different  words  for  the  same  thing ;  and,  in  ordinary  circum 
stances,  if  a  person  cannot  immediately  think  of  a  certain 
word  which  he  wishes  to  press  into  his  service,  he  will  try 
another.  But  Captain  Throgmorton  was  unwilling  to  avail 
himself  of  an  advantage  of  this  kind,  and  was  seldom  known 
to  exchange  a  word  which  he  had  selected,  and  which  had 
got  stuck  in  his  windpipe,  for  one  of  smoother  surface  or  infe 
rior  dimensions.  Indeed,  he  was  never  but  once  known  to 
resort  to  this  method  of  freeing  himself  from  a  difficulty,  and 
that  was  in  a  critical  emergency. 

He  was  in  the  ship  Harold,  entering  the  port  of  Havana, 
and,  as  is  customary  on  such  occasions,  had  no  pilot.  With 
a  good  breeze  from  the  eastward,  however,  he  ran  the  ship  up 
the  harbor,  under  full  sail ;  but,  as  he  approached  the  anchor 
age,  sail  was  gradually  reduced,  until  he  rounded  the  ship  to, 
in  handsome  style,  between  a  Spanish  Guineaman  and  a  Yan 
kee  merchantman,  intending  there  to  let  go  the  anchor. 

But  by  this  time  our  worthy  friend  had  become  somewhat 

excited,  and,  perhaps  the  more  so,  from  seeing  a  multitude  of 

people  on  the  quay,  scanning  his  motions,  and,  probably,  as 

usual  on  such  occasions,  criticizing  his  seamanship.    The  fore- 

18 


206  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

topsail  was  hove  aback,  the  helm  was  put  hard  a-starboard, 
the  ship  came  up  to  the  wind,  the  topsails  were  clewed 
down,  and  she  began  to  gather  stern-way,  but  still  no  order 
was  given  "  to  let  go  the  anchor."  Captain  Throgmorton 
stood  on  the  quarter-deck,  vainly  essaying  to  give  the  order, 
but  could  go  no  further  than  "  le — le — 1 — le — let,"  at  the 
same  time  stamping  the  deck  with  rage  and  mortification,  and 
making  sundry  convulsive  gestures  with  his  arms.  But  his 
officers  knew  their  captain  and  their  duty  too  well  to  take  the 
responsibility  of  issuing  an  important  order,  or  of  acting  with 
out  orders,  while  Captain  Throgmorton  was  on  deck,  and  the 
ship  would  have  gone,  stern  first,  slap  into  the  Gruiheaman,  if 
a  gentleman,  a  passenger  on  board,  seeing  the  captain  cack 
ling,  but  unable  to  produce  anything  more  than  an  untelligi- 
ble  and  unpleasant  sound,  had  not  suggested  to  him  to  change 
the  word  ! 

Captain  Throgmorton  eagerly  caught  at  the  hint ;  he  aban 
doned  to  its  fate  the  order  to  "  let  go  the  anchor"  and  bawled 
out,  with  terrific  energy,  the  brief  but  expressive  phrase  of 
"  DOWN  KELLOCK  !  "  The  anchor  was  released  from  the 
bows  in  an  instant,  a  small  scope  of  cable  was  payed  out,  and 
the  ship  was  brought  up  handsomely,  with  her  spanker-boom 
just  clear  of  the  flying-jib-boom  of  the  Guineaman  ! 

Captain  Throgmorton  once  proceeded  on  a  voyage  to  Am 
sterdam.  At  Nieu  Diep,  his  vessel  was  visited  by  a  custom 
house  officer,  whose  duty,  of  course,  was  to  make  inquiries 
relative  to  the  cargo,  and  to  examine  the  ship's  papers.  This 
officer  was  quite  a  respectable-looking  man,  and  could  speak 
tolerable  English,  but,  unfortunately,  he,  also,  had  an  imped 
iment  in  his  speech.  When  he  came  on  board,  Captain 
Throgmorton  was  scolding  the  steward,  and  sputtering  and 
stuttering  away  at  a  great  rate.  As  soon  as  he  got  through, 
the  officer  turned  to  the  captain,  bowed  politely,  and,  with  a 


THE    STUTTERING    CAPTAIN.  207 

bland  expression,  saluted  him,  "  Good  m — m — mo — morning, 
sir  ;  I  hope  you  enjoy  good  he — he — health,  sir." 

Captain  Throgmorton  eyed  him  with  a  savage  look.  He 
was,  of  course,  well  aware  of  his  own  infirmity,  but  disliked 
to  be  reminded  of  it,  and  could  never  bear  to  hear  it  made 
the  subject  of  a  joke  by  others.  Indeed,  he  was  morbidly 
sensitive  on  the  subject,  and  his  choler  rose  at  the  idea  of 
being  made  an  object  of  sport  by  a  thick-headed  Dutchman. 
It  is  no  wonder  he  replied  to  the  officer  rather  more  snap 
pishly  than  strict  politeness  would  warrant,  saying,  "  Wh — 
wh — what  do  you  want  on  board  of  my  sh — sh — ship  ?  " 

The  Dutchman  was  astonished  at  this  reception,  so  differ 
ent  from  what  he  was  accustomed  to  from  Yankee  shipmasters, 
and  he,  also,  felt  indignant  at  being  mocked,  as  he  believed, 
by  the  captain.  JS"ot  being  deficient  in  spirit,  he  answered, 
in  a  surly  tone,  "  AVh — wh — what  you  mean  by  t — t — talk 
ing  to  me  in  this  m — m — manner.  I  th — th — think  that  you 
be  no  gen — gen — gen — gentleman." 

"  You  g — g — gin-drinking  scoundrel !  do  you  th — th — 
th — think  to  make  f — f — fun  of  me  ?  I  '11  cl — cl — close  your 
potato  t — t — trap,  or  my  n — u — name  's  not  Th — Th — Thr — 
Throguiorton."  And,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  let 
fly  a  blow  with  his  brawny  fist  at  the  Dutchman's  face,  which 
loosened  some  of  his  ivories,  flattened  his  nose,  felled  him  to 
the  deck,  increased  the  impediment  in  his  speech,  and  aston 
ished  the  poor  fellow  more  than  ever  ! 

But  at  Gibraltar,  Captain  Throgmorton  was  once  placed, 
by  reason  of  this  infirmity,  in  a  very  awkward,  not  to  say 
perilous  position.  He  was  one  evening  detained  in  the  city 
on  business  until  after  sunset,  and  was  then  refused  permis 
sion  by  the  guard  to  pass  the  gate.  Being  thus  detained  on 
shore  against  his  will,  he  thought  to  while  away  a  half-hour 
or  so  of  the  twilight  by  taking  a  ramble  about  the  rock.  But, 
as  he  proceeded  in  the  direction  of  the  Moorish  Castle,  he 


208  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

was  startled  by  the  sudden  jar  of  a  musket,  as  it  was  brought 
to  the  present,  and  a  sentry,  not  a  dozen  feet  from  his  path, 
called  out,  in  a  peremptory  and  gruff  voice,  "  Who  goes 
there?" 

Captain  Throgmorton  was  a  brave  man,  in  the  ordinary 
sense  of  the  phrase ;  yet,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  he 
was  much  startled  by  the  challenge  so  suddenly  given,  and 
the  sight  of  the  musket  pointed  directly  towards  him.  The 
poet  Byron,  and  he  is  good  authority  in  a  case  like  this,  says : 

"  It  has  a  strange  quick  jar  upon  the  ear, 

That  cocking  of  a  musket,  when  you  know 
A  moment  more  will  bring  the  sight  to  bear 
Upon  your  person,  twelve  feet  off  or  so." 

And  so  thought  Captain  Throgmorton,  albeit  he  was  not 
familiar  with  Lord  Byron's  writings.  Indeed,  he  was  so 
much  fluttered  by  the  unexpected  occurrence,  that  he  could 
not  reply  to  the  demand  of  the  sentry. 

"  Who  goes  there  ?  "  again  shouted  the  sentry,  in  a  tone  of 
thunder. 

But  Captain  Throgmorton,  although  he  exerted  all  his 
vocal  muscles,  knowing  that  it  was  a  case  of  life  or  death, 
was  unable  to  say  any  more  than  "  A  f — f — f — ." 

"  Who  goes  there  ?  Speak,  or  I  fire  ! "  exclaimed  the 
sentry,  for  the  third  time ;  and  the  captain,  believing  that  he 
would  be  as  good  as  his  word,  and  finding  all  his  efforts  to 
answer  to  the  challenge  unsuccessful,  being  able  to  repeat 
only,  "  A  f — f — f — ,"  fairly  turned  round,  and  (I  regret  to 
record  it,  but  remember  Hector  and  Turnus)  commenced  run 
ning  down  the  hill ! 

The  sentry  fired,  and  the  ball  passed  through  Captain 
Throgmorton's  hat.  He  jumped  up  at  least  three  feet  per 
pendicularly,  believing  himself  wounded,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  the  wished-for  words,  "  A  FRIEND  ! "  bolted  out  of 


THE   STUTTERING    CAPTAIN. 


his  mouth  with  tremendous  force,  producing  a  deep-mouthed, 
sonorous  sound,  which  was  heard  in  every  part  of  the  strongly 
fortified  city,  and  causing  much  consternation  and  conjecture 


among  the  soldiers  and  the  inhabitants.  The  poor  sentry 
was  astounded  at  the  loud  report,  which  threw  him  flat  on 
his  back,  and  induced  him  to  believe  that,  instead  of  "  a 
friend,"  the  enemy  of  mankind  had  issued  from  the  Moorish 
Castle,  and  was  taking  a  promenade  over  the  rock ! 

On  his  return  home  from  that  voyage,  he  met  with  dense 
18* 


210  SALT  WATER   BUBBLES. 

and  heavy  fogs  on  the  coast.  He  finally  struck  soundings  on 
the  southern  edge  of  George's  Bank ;  but,  the  wind  being 
baffling,  and,  for  the  most  part  of  the  time,  ahead,  he  was 
beating  about  two  or  three  days,  without  being  able  to  obtain 
an  observation,  or  speak  a  vessel.  One  morning,  just  at  day 
break,  the  wind  blowing  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  north-east, 
and  the  starboard  tacks  aboard,  Captain  Throgmorton  was 
alarmed  by  the  cry  of  "  Breakers  ahead,  and  mider  the  lee  !  " 
He  rushed  on  deck,  where  everything  was  in  confusion.  The 
roaring  of  the  breakers  could  be  distinctly  heard,  and,  indeed, 
a  long  white  line  of  breakers  could  be  seen  through  the  fog, 
but  a  short  distance  off.  All  hands  were  on  deck  in  a  jiffey. 
The  captain,  of  course,  assumed  the  command,  and  called 
aloud,  u  STAYS  ! "  Every  man  flew  at  once  to  his  station, 
and  "  the  cook  to  the  fore-sheet."  The  captain  was  much 
excited ;  there  was  not  room  to  wear,  and,  therefore,  every 
thing  depended  on  the  ship's  coming  about  promptly,  of  which 
there  was  little  doubt,  as  she  seldom  or  never  missed  stays  in 
a  tolerably  smooth  sea. 

The  helm  was  put  down,  and  the  tacks  and  sheets  were  let 
fly.  The  ship  came  to  the  wind  beautifully,  with  the  sails  all 
shivering ;  but  when  Qaptain  Throgmorton  essayed  to  give 
the  order,  "  MAIN-TOPSAIL  HAUL  ! "  the  words  stuck  in  his 
throat !  All  he  could  say,  in  spite  of  the  most  violent  strug 
gles  and  workings  of  the  facial  and  "  the  abdominal  muscles," 
was  "  Ma — ma — ma — ."  He  stamped  his  foot  on  the  deck, 
in  an  agony  of  rage  and  anxiety.  The  sails  were  all  aback, 
and  the  ship  was  beginning  to  gather  stern-way,  but  the  words 
clave  to  his  windpipe,  and  obstinately  refused  to  evacuate  the 
premises ! 

An  old  sailor,  Jack  Buntline,  was  at  the  wheel.     He  saw 
the  awkward  predicament  which  they  were  in,  but  he  dared 
not  take  the  word  from  the  captain's  mouth  and  give  it  him 
self,  such  is  the  virtue  of  strict  discipline,  and  he  resolved  t./ 


THE    STUTTERING    CAPTAIN.  211 

try  and  force  it  out !  Jack  was  a  shrewd,  sensible  fellow. 
He  had  seen  a  fish-bone  dislodged  from  a  man's  throat  by  a 
simple  but  summary  process,  and  he  naturally  concluded  that 
a  word  or  phrase  that  had  got  doubled  up  in  the  same  pas 
sage,  might  be  discharged  in  the  same  manner.  He  accord 
ingly  raised  his  arm  high  in  the  air,  and  then  let  his  huge 
and  brawny  fist  fall  upon  the  back  of  the  agitated  skipper. 
The  blow  took  effect  directly  between  the  shoulders,  and  pro 
duced,  indeed,  a  magical  effect.  It  was  like  applying  a  match 
to  a  sixty-eight  pounder,  and  «  MAIN-TOPSAIL  HAUL  !  " 
popped  from  his  mouth  like  a  shot  from  a  Paixhan  gun !  The 
crew,  frightened  before,  now  lost  all  presence  of  mind.  The 
braces  were  let  go,  fore  and  aft ;  some  pulled  on  one  side,  and 
some  hauled  on  the  other ;  the  yards  became  square,  the  ship, 
head  to  the  wind  and  in  irons,  soon  gathered  sternway,  and, 
amid  a  din  and  confusion  seldom  *equalled,  was  forced,  stern 
first,  slap -dash  among  the  breakers  I 

But  the  most  remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  this 
occurrence,  is  the  fact  that  at  the  time  Captain  Throgmor- 
ton,  by  the  timely  aid  of  Jack  Buntline,  issued  the  order  to 
"  Main-topsail  haul !  "  a  gannet,  which  was  flying  over  the 
ship,  was  actually  stunned  by  the  awful  noise,  and  fell  dead 
upon  the  deck  !  The  circumstance  may  seem  incredible  to 
some,  but  Plutarch,  an  accurate  historian,  records  several 
cases  where  a  like  effect  was  produced  by  the  shouts  of  a 
Roman  mob ;  and  when  we  consider  that  Captain  Throgmor- 
ton's  voice  on  this  occasion  was  as  loud  and  as  powerful  as 
the  shouts  of  a  vast  number  of  people  "  rolled  into  one,"  it 
will  hardly  be  considered  incredible,  that,  if  it  fairly  hit 
the  gannet,  the  bird  should  have  fallen  dead  upon  the  deck ! 

The  ship  was  driven  among  the  breakers,  but  she  u-as  not 
lost !  The  breakers  proved  to  be  tide  rips  on  the  Fishing 
Rip,  where  there  is  depth  of  water  enough  to  float  a  frigate ; 


212 


SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 


but  these  and  other  rips  in  the  South  Channel,  have  fright 
ened  many  a  poor  fellow  besides  Captain  Throgmorton. 

The  sturdy  captain  learned  a  lesson,  however,  in  the  course 
of  that  voyage,  and  declared  that  he  would  never  go  to  sea, 
in  command  of  a  vessel,  until  he  had  cured  himself  of  his 
habit  of  stammering. 


RUFUS    ARMSTRONG; 

OR, 

PRACTICAL    JOKES. 

Yonder  he  drives  ;   avoid  that  furious  beast, 

If  he  may  have  his  joke,  he  never  cares 

At  whose  expense  ;  nor  friend  nor  patron  spares. 

HORACE. 

Rurus  ARMSTRONG  was  a  true-hearted  Yankee  sailor.  He 
was  endowed  with  a  noble  spirit,  and  an  unusual  share  of 
intrepidity.  Neither  storm  nor  battles  could  awaken  a  feel 
ing  in  his  bosom,  akin  to  fear,  or  hardly  cause  him  to  look 
grave.  He  was  a  whole-hearted,  jovial  fellow,  of  a  generous 
disposition,  always  ready  to  assist  a  friend,  or' even  to  share 
his  purse  with  a  stranger.  But  Rufus  had  an  exuberant  flow 
of  spirits,  was  fond  to  distraction  of  a  frolic,  but,  above  all 
things,  he  loved  a  practical  joke.  He  laughed  often  himself, 
and  delighted  to  make  others  laugh,  and  cared  little  at  whose 
expense  they  laughed ;  and  he  had  a  peculiar  faculty  in  elicit 
ing  mirth  from  men  and  things,  which  to  other  persons  would 
have  presented  a  very  sedate  aspect.  His  practical  jokes  did 
not  originate  in  a  spirit  of  mischief,  but  in  a  love  of  fun ;  for 
Rufus  cherished  no  malice  in  his  bosom,  towards  any  human 
being.  His  propensity  to  joke  was  irresistible,  and 'when  a 
good  opportunity  occurred  to  perpetrate  a  practical  joke,  he 
would  not  spare  the  best  friend  he  had  in  the  world.  This 


214  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

trait  in  his  character  will  best  be  seen  by  a  few  illustra 
tions. 

On  board  the  Orestes,  Rufus  had  a  shipmate  by  the  name 
of  Tim  Tibbets.  Tim  was  one  of  those  selfish  mortals,  who 
keep  a  sharp  look-out  for  number  one  ;  —  a  character  which 
Rufus  despised,  for,  with  that  improvidence  which  is  charac 
teristic  of  the  sailor,  he  seldom  thought  of  the  morrow.  One 
evening,  he  saw  Tim  slyly  appropriating  to  his  own  use  a  pot 
of  tea,  which  did  not  rightfully  belong  to  him.  He  took  it 
into  the  forecastle,  and  stowed  it  away  safe,  as  he  thought, 
intending  it  as  a  solace  and  comforter  in  the  middle  watch. 
Rufus  twigged  him,  and  determined  to  have  some  sport.  In 
the  first  watch,  after  the  watch  below  were  asleep,  he  went 
down  into  the  forecastle,  and  quietly  got  possession  of  Tim's 
pot  of  tea.  He  drank  it  off,  and  then  filled  the  pot  with  salt 
water  !  Tim  began  to  grow  sleepy  about  three  bells,  and  it 
was  his  look-out ;  he  thought  of  his  pot  of  tea,  which  he  had 
so  slyly  stowed  away,  and  his  mouth  watered  at  the  thought, 
for  he  loved  tea  with  a  deep-seated  affection.  He  slipped 
quietly  down  into  the  forecastle,  groped  about,  and  seized  his 
pot,  which  was  snugly  deposited  in  a  nook  on  the  breast-hook. 
He  put  the  vessel  to  his  lips,  and  took  a  good  swallow.  But 
such  a  display  of  coughing,  and  sputtering,  and  stuttering, 
and  muttering,  succeeded  by  menaces  and  abuse,  ensued,  as,  I 
will  venture  to  say,  has  not  often  been  witnessed,  even  in  the 
forecastle  of  a  merchant  ship.  It  roused  everybody  in  the 
forecastle,  and  Rufus  declared  the  fellow  ought  to  be  hustled 
for  coming  below  and  disturbing  the  watch,  when  they  were 
quietly  snoozing  in  their  berths,  as  if  for  a  wager.  It  even 
disturbed  the  slumbers  of  the  watch  on  deck,  who  were  qui 
etly  calking,  and  of  the  second  mate,  who  was  taking  a  nap, 
mounted  on  the  harness-cask  and  leaning  against  the  fife-rail. 
Tim  was  in  an  awful  rage.  He  declared  he  would  be  the 
death  of  the  scoundrel  who  put  the  scurvy  trick  upon  him. 


RUFUS   ARMSTRONG.  215 

He  strongly  suspected  Rufiis,  and  kept  a  sharp  look-out  for 
him  afterwards. 

Mr.  Wilder,  the  second  mate,  was  an  inactive,  sleepy- 
headed  fellow,  and  was  much  too  apt  to  get  asleep  in  his 
watch  on  deck,  when  the  safety  of  the  ship  might  depend  on 
his  vigilance.  One  pleasant  night,  during  the  first  watch, 
about  six  bells,  Mr.  Wilder  mounted  his  perch,  the  harnessr 
cask,  near  the  mainmast,  and  was  soon  fast  asleep,  and  snor 
ing  like  a  pig.  Just  about  this  time,  the  wind  hauled  ahead 
a  couple  of  points,  and  Rufus  Armstrong,  who  was  steering 
his  trick  at  the  wheel,  took  it  into  his  head  that  he  would 
have  some  sport,  and  at  the  same  time  cure  his  officer  of 
sleeping  at  his  post.  He  left  the  wheel  for  a  moment,  took 
the  mizzen  staysail  down-haul,  —  spencers  were  not  in  fashion 
in  those  days,  —  and  passed  the  bight  of  the  rope  gently  around 
the  neck  of  the  officer,  and  belayed  it  to  a  cleet  on  the  main 
mast.  He  then  softly  stepped  aft  to  the  wheel,  and  stamped 
violently  on  the  deck  ! 

The  captain  was  below,  turned  in,  and,  hearing  the  noise, 
he  thought  something  extraordinary  was  about  to  happen,  and 
hastened  on  deck,  in  a  scanty,  and  not  very  fashionable,  cos 
tume  ;  and  as  he  put  his  head  out  of  the  companion-way,  Ru 
fus  bawled  out  in  a  hoarse  voice,  "  Mr.  Wilder,  Mr.  Wilder, 
I  tell  you  again  that  the  wind  is  hauling  ahead.  The  ship 
won't  lie  her  course." 

"  What 's  the  matter  ? "  exclaimed  the  captain,  in  a  voice 
of  thunder,  though  tremulous  with  fear. 

"  Nothing,  sir,"  answered  the  mate,  at  a  venture.  "  Halloo 
there,  forward,  come  aft  and  brace  up  the  yards ;  "  at  the  same 
time  he  sprang  from  the  harness-cask,  and  was  brought  up  all 
standing  by  the  neck  ! 

"  Murder ! "  shouted  the  poor  man,  on  discovering  his  condi 
tion  ;  and  he  struggled  hard  to  get  free,  which  drew  the  round 
turn  still  closer,  and  was  near  converting  the  farce  into  a  trag- 


216  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

edy ;  the  poor  fellow  groaned,  and  kicked  convulsively,  and 
uttered  a  gasping,  choking  kind  of  noise. 

Rufus  again  left  the  wheel,  and  sprang  toward  him,  appa 
rently  urged  by  sympathy  and  curiosity,  and  assisted  the  cap 
tain  to  discover  the  true  state  of  things.  "  I  declare,  now," 
said  Rufus,  with  well-counterfeited  surprise,  "Mr.  Wilder 
.has  lashed  himself  to  the  fife-rail,  for  fear  of  getting  asleep 
and  tumbling  off  the  harness-cask,  and  when  he  awoke,  he 
forgot  all  about  it,  and  the  rope  has  got  round  his  neck.  I 
thought  he  was  asleep,  as  I  called  him  twice,  and  he  made  no 
answer." 

By  this  time  the  poor  mate  was  relieved  from  his  rough  and 
close-fitting  necklace,  and  as  soon  as  he  recovered  from  his  fit 
of  strangulation,  the  captain  gave  him  a  tremendous  rating, 
for  jeoparding  the  lives  of  all  on  board,  by  sleeping  in  his 
watch  ;  and  as  to  his  denial  that  he  tied  himself,  the  captain 
treated  it  as  moonshine  ;  and,  for  his  comfort,  told  him  that, 
even  if  he  spoke  the  truth,  it  would  only  make  matters  worse 
instead  of  better,  — for  what  kind  of  an  officer  must  that  man 
be,  whom  the  crew  could  fasten  to  the  fife-rail,  without  his 
knowledge  ! 

But  the  trick  he  served  Jerry  Johnson,  was  ratner  a  severe 
one.  Jerry  was  particularly  fond  of  being  comfortable  at  all 
times,  and  had  a  great  antipathy  to  a  ducking ;  —  to  guard 
against  which,  he  supplied  himself  with  substantial  and  water 
proof  clothing,  comforters,  &c.,  to  wear  round  his  neck,  and  a 
broad-rimmed  tarpaulin  hat,  to  use  in  bad  weather,  and  which 
he  secured  by  a  laniard  to  the  button-hole  of  his  pea-jacket. 
In  consequence  of  his  taking  so  much  pains  in  his  rigging,  it 
took  him  a  great  while  to  come  on  deck  in  bad  weather,  and 
he  was  severely  scolded  several  times  by  the  mate,  and  grum 
bled  at  by  all  hands,  but  without  much  effect. 

At  length  we  got  on  the  coast.  It  was  late  in  the  fall,  and 
the  weather  was  cheerless  and  rainy,  and  Jerry  was  longer 


RUFTJS   ARMSTRONG.  217 

than  ever  in  turning  out,  coming  on  deck,  and  relieving  the 
helm.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  muttering  about  it  in  the 
other  watch,  and  Rufus  thought  he  was  fair  game  for  a  prac 
tical  joke.  Accordingly,  one  cold  and  stormy  night,  when 
Jerry  was  asleep  in  his  birth,  Rufus  softly  descended  into  the 
forecastle,  and  took  away  Jerry's  hat,  which  was  carefully 
deposited  near  the  head  of  his  bed.  He  poured  into  it  a  couple 
of  quarts  of  water  from  alongside,  and  carried  it  back  to  the 
same  place. 

The  watch  was  afterwards  called  in  due  time,  and  it  was 
Jerry's  next  trick  at  the  wheel.  He  turned  out  and  decked 
himself  as  comfortably  as  possible,  and  took  particular  care 
to  fortify  his  neck  against  any  exposure  to  rain.  Before  he 
had  finished  his  toilette,  however,  Mr.  Manly,  the  chief  mate, 
came  forward,  and,  putting  his  head,  down  the  scuttle, 
bawled  out,  "  Halloo,  you  Jerry,  are  you  going  to  relieve  the 
wheel  ?  —  or  do  you  want  me  to  lend  you  a  hand  to  find  your 
traps  ?  " 

Jerry  was  by  this  time  all  ready  ;  and  with  unusual  alac 
rity,  put  his  hand  to  the  head  of  his  berth,  and  seized  his  hat. 
In  his  hurry  he  did  not  discover  that  it  was  heavier  than 
usual,  but  hastily  clapped  it  upon  his  head,  and,  much  to  his 
astonishment  and  dismay,  found  himself  subjected  to  all  the 
comforts  of  a  cold  salt-water  shower-bath,  gratis  !  The  effect 
was  truly  electrifying,  and  as  soon  as  the  first  shock  was  over, 
while  the  cold  water  was  forcing  various  passages  beneath  his 
neckerchief  and  comforter,  after  well  saturating  those  arti 
cles  of  clothing,  he  uttered  a  shriek  which  could  be  heard  a 
mile.  At  the  same  time,  Rufus  thrust  his  snub  nose  into  the 
forecastle,  and  exclaimed,  "  Jerry,  you  had  better  come  on 
deck,  if  you  don't  want  to  get  yourself  into  trouble,  for  Mr. 
Manly  says  that  if  you  don't  relieve  the  wheel  in  less  than  a 
minute,  he  '11  give  you  a  touch  of  a  rope's  end  ;  and  you  know 
he  's  a  man  of  his  word."  This  was  truly  an  unfortunate  state 
19 


218  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

of  things  ;  but  although  Jerry  had  a  great  antipathy  to  being 
wet,  he  had  a  greater  aversion  to  a  rope's  end ;  and  "all  ac 
coutred  as  he  was,"  with  wet  inner  garments,  and  shivering 
with  the  cold,  he  crawled  upon  deck,  and  proceeded  aft  to 
take  the  helm.  He  told  a  pitiful  tale  to  the  mate,  about  some 
person's  filling  his  hat  with  water,  as  an  excuse  for  his  tardi 
ness,  but  the  mate  was  a  poor  hand  at  consolation,  at  least  in 
this  case,  for  he  told  Jerry  that  it  served  him  right,  and  refused 
to  allow  him  to  be  relieved  to  change  his  clothes,  until  his 
two  hours  had  expired. 

The  joke  which  he  put  upon  the  supercargo  of  the  Orestes, 
should  not  be  forgotten.  He  was  an  arrogant  young  man,  and 
a  great  fop,  withal,  and  held  to  the  maxim  that  clothes  make 
the  man.  One  day  while  the  ship  was  lying  in  the  inn6r  roads 
of  Buenos  Ayres,  the  supercargo  came  on  board  for  some  pur 
pose  which  I  have  forgotten.  He  was  dressed  for  a  dinner 
party,  and  looked  as  nice  as  if  he  had  just  stepped  out  of  a 
lady's  perfumed  bandbox,  with  his  ruffled  shirt,  his  spotless 
collar,  his  white  neckerchief,  4iis  new  dress  coat  of  invisible 
green,  his  silk  stockings,  and  his  white  gloves.  He  stayed 
longer  than  he  intended,  and  was  in  a  hurry  to  get  ashore,  in 
order  to  fulfil  his  engagement.  The  boat  was  manned,  and 
Rufus  pulled  the  after  oar.  The  boat  grounded  at  about  half 
a  cable's  length  from  the  land,  and,  what  was  worse,  no  curt 
was  at  that  time  on  the  beach,  which  kind  of  vehicle  was  ordi 
narily  used  for  the  purpose  of  taking  ashore  those  passengers 
in  boats,  who  were  not  in  a  plight  to  wade.  Here  was  a  diffi 
culty  ;  what  was  to  be  done  ?  If  he  waited  fifteen  minutes  for 
the  cart,  he  should  be  too  late,  but  Rufus  Armstrong,  like  a 
good  genius,  came  to  his  assistance. 

"  Mr.  Popinjay,"  said  Rufus,  with  a  serious  and  respectful 
air,  "  you  had  better  get  on  my  back,  and  I  '11  carry  you  safe 
ashore,  high  and  dry,  in  the  twinkling  of  a  capstan  bar." 


RUFUS   ARMSTRONG.  219 

"Do  jou  think  you  could  do  it,  Rufus?  Do  you  really 
think  I  might  trust  you  ?  " 

"  Trust  me  !  Why,  sir,  I  've  carried  men  ashore  from  the 
boat  of  twice  your  weight.  Do  it  indeed  !  " 

"  Well,  Rufus,  I  know  you  are  strong  and  powerful,  and  I 
suppose  there  is  not  the  least  danger  ;  but  I  would  not  meet 
with  an  accident  now  for  five  hundred  dollars." 

3Ir.  Popinjay,  without  more  ado,  mounted  Rufus's  back, 
and  the  sly  rogue  marched  off  firmly  with  him  towards  the 
shore.  The  dandy  was  grinning  at  his  good  fortune,  in  secur 
ing  such  a  conveyance,  when  Rufus's  right  foot  plunged 
apparently,  into  a  deep  mud-hole.  He  strove  to  recover  him 
self,  but  in  vain,  made  a  few  false  steps,  and  finished  the 
matter  by  falling  backwards,  at  full  length,  flat  upon  Mr. 
Popinjay,  in  a  place  where  the  depth  of  the  water  was  about 
a  foot.  ^ 

Poor  Mr.  Popinjay  !  He  was  soaked  from  top  to  toe,  his 
clothes  were  spoiled,  and  he  was  cut  off  from  all  hope  of 
dining  abroad  on  that  day.  Rftfus  was  profuse  with  his  apol 
ogies,  and  made  many  lamentations  for  the  unfortunate  oc 
currence  ;  but  there  was  a  lurking  look  of  roguery  in  his  eye 
all  the  time.  Mr.  Popinjay  absolutely  shed  tears  of  vexa 
tion,  and  ever  afterwards  looked  upon  Rufus  Armstrong  as  a 
dangerous  man,  notwithstanding  hfe  everlasting  fund  of  good 
humor. 

My  humorous  friend,  Rufus  Armstrong,  once  played  a 
serious  joke  on  a  poor  Chinaman  in  Batavia,  and,  if  he  had 
been  taken  at  that  time,  his  life  would  doubtless  have  been 
sacrificed.  With  three  others  of  the  crew  and  the  second 
mate,  he  went  ashore  one  day  in  the  boat,  for  the  purpose  of 
conveying  to  a  mercantile  house,  far  up  the  canal,  some  bags 
of  dollars.  The  boat  was  detained  ashore  some  time,  and 
Rufus,  with  one  of  his  shipmates,  obtained  permission  to  stroll 
about  town.  In  the  course  of  their  rambles,  they  heard  a 


220  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

terrible  uproar  in  another  street.  They  hastened  to  the  scene 
of  operations,  and  found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  a  numer 
ous  and  exceedingly  noisy  mob,  occasioned  by  a  quarrel 
between  some  Malays  and  a  party  of  Chinese  sailors.  The 
inhabitants  of  that  quarter  of  the  city  had  turned  out  to  a 
man,  and  a  motley  collection  they  made,  consisting  of  Malays, 
Chinese,  Dutch  and  a  few  English  and  Americans,  chiefly 
seamen.  They  were  abusing  each  other  in  a  fine  style,  and 
shaking  their  fists  in  each  other's  faces,  evidently  ripe  for  a 
fight. 

Rufus  was  delighted,  and,  from  the  mere  love  of  fun,  un 
ceremoniously  sprang  into  the  midst  of  the  assembly,  and 
soon  checked  the  oratorical  display  of  a  bawling  Chinaman,  by 
giving  him  a  severe  blow  on  the  mouth.  He  then  tackled  to 
a  Malay,  and  upset  him  in  a  hurry.  His  laudable  example 
was  followed  by  the  jest  of  the  mob,  and  a  general  and  despe 
rate  combat  ensued.  Rufus,  having  accomplished  his  object, 
withdrew  from  the  melee,  and  stood  aloof,  watching  with  much 
interest  the  result  of  the  engagement.  His  attention  was 
soon  particularly  directed  to  a  tall,  good-looking  and  well- 
dressed  Chinaman,  with  a  splendid  queue,  reaching  to  the 
ground,  who,  notwithstanding  he  was  in  the  midst  of  the  dense 
mob,  made  himself  conspicuous  by  his  loud  and  constant  out 
cries  and  furious  gestures*  Rufus  conceived  a  wicked  pro 
ject,  which  he  hastened  to  execute.  He  again  mingled  in  the 
throng,  and  soon  elbowed  his  way  to  the  spot  where  the 
long-queued  "  Celestial "  was  dealing  out  at  the  top  of  his 
voice, 

"  Words  of  a  learned  length  and  thundering  sound," 

the  meaning  of  which  was  either  below  or  above  the  compre 
hension  of  Rufus. 

By  dint  of  hard  pushing,  and  a  great  exertion  of  strength, 
Rufus  got  close  behind  him,  drew  his  jack-knife  from  his 


RUFUS   ARMSTRONG.  221 

pocket,  which,  by  good  luck,  had  been  sharpened  that  morn 
ing,  and  cut  like  a  razor,  seized  the  Chinaman's  queue  with 
his  left  hand,  and  with  his  right,  grasping  the  knife,  cut  it  off 
close  to  his  head,  before  the  legitimate  owner  knew  what  lie 
was  about.  The  poor  feJJow,  who  felt  his  hair  pulled  rather 
unceremoniously,  turned  round,  as  soon  as  he  conveniently 
could,  to  see  what  was  the  difficulty,  but  Rufus  had  cleared 
out,  carrying  with  him  the  queue  as  a  trophy. 

The  tall  Chinaman  put  his  hand  to  the  back  of  his  neck, 
and  when  he  found  that  his  queue  had  really  disappeared,  he 
uttered  a  yell  of  grief  and  indignation,  which  might  have  been 
heard  a  mile.  He  caught  a  glimpse  of  Rufus,  as  he  was  forc 
ing  his  way  out  of  the  mob,  and  suspected  that  he  was  the 
scoundrel  who  had  deprived  him  of  his  most  valued  orna 
mental  appendage.  As  soon  as  he  could  extricate  himself 
from  the  throng,  he  prepared,  with  a  party  of  his  countrymen, 
who  were  much  shocked  and  scandalized  at  the  insult,  to  fol 
low  after  the  Yankee  sailor,  and  teach  him  better  manners, 
in  future,  than  to  cut  off  a  Chinaman's  queue.  But  fortu 
nately  for  Rufus,  he  had  a  start,  and,  with  his  shipmate, 
reached  the  boat,  which  he  found  only  awaiting  their  return  to 
shove  off.  They  seized  the  oars,  and  got  the  boat  under  rapid 
motion,  just  as  the  Chinamen,  breathing  fury  and  vengeance, 
led  on  by  the  queueless  orator,  appeared  turning  the  corner  of 
a  street,  not  a  hundred  rods  off,  and  the  robbed  and  insulted 
man  gave  a  wild  howl  of  despair  as  he  beheld  Rufus,  with  a 
grin  of  exultation,  "  giving  way,"  as  if  for  dear  life,  with  the 
gaudily-ribboned  queue  tastefully  arranged  around  his  neck, 
after  the  manner  of  the  boas  of  our  fashionable  belles. 

Rufus  Armstrong  got  safe  home  to  Boston  with  his  prize, 
and  when  he  was  paid  off,  he  procured  a  stylish  scratch,  with 
"  lovelocks "  of  an  auburn  color,  and  got  the  unfortunate 
Chinaman's  queue  neatly  spliced  to  the  after  part  of  it ;  and 
he  took  great  delight  in  walking  about  Avith  his  dandy  locks, 
19* 


222  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

and  his  queue,  decked  with  ribbons,  reaching  to  his  heels,  an 
object  of  curiosity,  admiration  or  envy,  to  all  he  met. 

It  was  artillery  election  day  ;  the  date  of  our  story  extends 
further  back  than  the  time  when  Josiah  Quincy  —  to  whom 
Boston  owes  a  debt  of  gratitude,  which  she  will  never  be  able 
to  repay  —  was  mayor  of  our  goodly  city.  The  Common  was 
covered  with  booths,  where  liquors  of  every  variety  were 
paraded  in  decanters  or  glasses,  to  catch  the  eye  of  the  moder 
ate  drinker  or  the  habitual  drunkard,  and  scenes  of  wild  dis 
order,  language  of  a  most  offensive  character,  and  quarrelling 
and  fighting,  the  inevitable  consequences  of  a  free  indulgence 
in  intoxicating  drinks,  were  frequent  on  the  Common,  on  gala 
days,  in  those  times,  notwithstanding  "  old  Read,"  with  a 
score  of  constables,  was  stationed  on  that  part  of  the  Common 
where  the  booths  stood  the  thickest,  ready  to  make  war  upon, 
and  capture  all  offenders  against  the  peace  of  the  good  old 
town  of  Boston.  Rufus,  with  a  couple  of  his  shipmates, 
called  at  one  of  those  respectable  places,  and  took  some  "  re 
freshment,"  which,  in  those  days,  was  the  technical  term  for 
alcoholic  drinks.  They  handed  the  owner  of  the  booth  a  five 
dollar  bill,  and  demanded  the  change. 

In  those  days,  all  dram-sellers  were  not  strictly  conscien 
tious  men,  anxious  for  the  "  public  good,"  as  is  said  to  be  the 
case  at  the  present  time,  but  were  apt  to  take  any  advantage 
of  a  sailor  or  drunkard,  which  opportunity  might  offer ;  and 
the  man  who  supplied  Rufus  and  his  shipmates  with  liquor,  1 
regret  to  say,  was  a  person  of  this  description.  He,  very 
naturally,  thought  that  if  sailors  would  foolishly  squander 
away  their  money,  he  had  as  good  a  right  to  a  share  of  it  as 
any  other  person.  Acting  upon  this  principle,  he  returned 
our  hero,  among  his  change,  a  three-dollar  bill  of  uncurrent 
money. 

Rufus  and  his  friends  remained  on  the  Common,  cracking 
their  jokes,  and  gazing  upon  the  strange  sights,  and  treating 


RUFUS   ARMSTRONG.  223 

little  children  with  election  buns  and  gingerbread;  and  it  was 
not  long  before  it  became  necessary  to  "  break  "  the  three- 
dollar  bill.  It  was  accordingly  tendered  to  the  keeper  of  a 
booth,  in  payment  for  sundry  "  fancy  articles,"  who  declared 
that  the  bill,  so  far  from  being  worth  three  dollars,  was  not  worth 
a  mill.  This  was  a  damper.  However,  they  were  fortunately 
able  to  muster  money  enough  to  pay  the  man,  and  then  they 
started  "  full  chisel,"  after  the  dram-seller,  who  had  treated 
them  so  unhandsomely. 

After  a  fatiguing  search  for  nearly  an  hour,  they  found 
him ;  but  he  did  not  seem  particularly  pleased  with  their  ap 
pearance  again  in  the  scene ;  he  did  not  even  smile  upon  them 
as  they  approached,  as  is  customary  with  the  dram-sellers  of 
the  present  day  ;  but  a  scowl  rested  on  his  brow,  and  when 
Rufus  accused  him  of  dishonesty,  in  endeavoring  to  palm 
upon  them  a  worthless  piece  of  paper,  and  demanded  restitu 
tion,  the  fellow,  with  the  most  unblushing  effrontery,  denied 
the  charge,  and  ordered  them  away,  thus  adding  insult  to 
injury,  which  they  could  not  brook.  High  words  ensued ; 
people  were  attracted  to  the  spot,  some  incipient  symptoms  of 
a  riot  appeared,  and  the  man,  alarmed  for  his  property  and  his 
person,  insolently  told  them  to  be  civil,  and  clear  out  at  once, 
or  he  would  give  them  in  charge  to  a  constable,  who  would 
deposit  them  in  jail.  At  the  same  time,  seeing  "  old  Bead," 
of  captivating  memory,  approaching  the  booth  in  a  very 
calm,  philosophical  manner,  he  shouted  aloud  for  assistance. 

The  sailors,  finding  that,  in  addition  to  being  swindled  out 
of  their  money  and  insulted,  they  were  likely  to  be  imprisoned, 
did  not  continue  to  cherish  a  violent  affection  for  their 
accommodating  friend,  who  had  so  neatly  relieved  them  of 
their  surplus  funds,  and  argued  very  foolishly,  as  sailors  are 
too  apt  to  argue,  that  if  they  must  go  to  jail,  they  would  not 
go  to  jail  for  nothing.  Acting  upon  this  dangerous  principle, 
one  of  them,  without  more  ado,  gave  the  dishonest  trafficker  a, 


224  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

gentle  tap  beneath  the  ear,  which  laid  him  sprawling  on  the 
green  sward,  and,  at  the  same  time,  Rufus  and  the  other  ship 
mates  seized  the  long  table,  and  tipped  it  over  on  the  aston 
ished  liquor-seller,  and  dire  was  the  confusion,  and  destruction 
of  glasses,  tumblers,  crockery  and  decanters,  with  their  pre 
cious  contents,  which  ensued.  The  soil  got  intoxicated  with 
that  liquor,  which  it  was  intended  should  degrade  and  madden 
human  beings. 

Rufus  and  his  shipmates  sprang  from  the  booth,  and  at 
tempted  to  make  their  escape,  but  "  old  Read  "  was  at  their 
heels,  and  singled  out  Rufus,  who  was  making  the  whole 
Common  ring  with  his  contagious  laugh,  as  his  especial  prey. 
The  by-standers  did  not  seem  inclined  to  interfere,  but  cheered 
Rufus,  with  his  interminable  queue,  gorgeously  decked  with 
red  ribbons,  as  he  whisked  past,  like  a  comet  with  a  fiery  tail. 
But  he  had  one  at  his  heels  who  had  his  land-tacks  on  board, 
and  who  was  seldom  vanquished  in  a  foot-race.  Rufus 
jumped  over  the  wooden  fence,  which  lined  the  mall,  with  the 
agility  of  a  cat,  and  exercised  his  drum-sticks  very  hand 
somely  ;  but  the  long-limbed  constable  gained  rapidly  upon 
him,  ami,  before  the  chase  reached  West  street,  Read  was 
so  close  to  his  heels,  that  he  reached  out  his  hand  to  grasp 
the  queue.  One  spring  more,  and  he  is  near  enough.  He 
seized  it,  he  clutched  it  within  his  hand,  and  smiled  grimly, 
expecting  to  bring  up  the  offender  all  standing,  and  the  specta 
tors  of  the  chase  thought  it  was  all  up  with  Rufus,  and 
looked  melancholy  and  disappointed  that  he  had  not  escaped. 
"  Old  Read  "  relaxed  his  pace,  and  gave  a  sudden  jerk  ;  but 
his  disappointment  and  mortification  may  be  conceived,  when, 
instead  of  the  daring  offender,  he  found  nothing  in  his  pos 
session  but  a  superb  queue,  with  a  scratch,  well  garnished 
with  "  love-locks,'"  dangling  at  the  end  of  it  ! 

But  "  old  Read  "  was  not  a  man  easily  discouraged,  or  one 
who  wns  apt  to  lose  his  presence  of  mind  on  such  occasions. 


RUFUS   ARMSTRONG.  225 

He  dropped  the  queue  as  if  it  had  been  a  cobra  capetto,  or  a 
hot  potato,  and  prosecuted  the  race  with  renewed  vigor. 
Rufus  had,  by  this  time,  gained  on  his  pursuer  several  paces, 
but  he  soon  heard  "  old  Read  "  again  panting  in  his  wake.  He 
half  turned  his  head  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  officer,  and, 
just  as  the  constable,  with  a  savage  grin  on  his  countenance, 
was  felicitating  himself  on  the  prospect  of  seizing  blue-jacket, 
and  putting  him  in  limbo,  Rufus  dropped  on  all-fours,  as 
suddenly  as  if  he  had  been  shot ;  and  poor  Read,  who  was 
going  at  the  time,  at  least  thirteen  knots  an  hour,  struck  him 
with  such  violence,  that  the  shock  sent  him  pitch-poling  two 
or  three  rods  ahead,  when  he  fell  prostrate  on  the  pavement. 
Rufus  sprung  up  like  a  lamp-lighter  as  soon  as  the  crisis  was 
past,  and,  while  "  old  Read  "  was  gathering  himself  up,  dashed 
down  Mason  street,  and  turned  into  a  back  yard,  where  he 
concealed  himself  until  the  coast  was  clear.  His  scratch  and 
its  appendage  were  picked  up  by  a  brother  tar,  and  after 
wards  restored  to  him  safe  and  sound. 

The  last  time  that  Rufus  Armstrong  went  to  sea,  was  in  the 
fine  ship  Mandricardo,  of  Boston.  He  was  second  mate  of 
that  ship,  and  proved  himself  an  active,  trustworthy  and  ever 
vigilant  officer.  When  he  was  before  the  mast,  he  loved  to 
steal  a  nap  on  deck  during  his  watch,  especially  when  it  was 
not  his  look-out ;  and  many  a  sweet  sleep  has  he  enjoyed, 
seated  on  the  body  of  the  windlass,  well  wrapped  in  his 
monkey-jacket,  and  his  head  reposing  on  the  bits.  But  when 
he  was  promoted,  he  seemed  to  be  aware  of  the  responsibility 
which  rested  upon  him,  and  never  allowed  himself  to  be 
caught  napping.  He  constantly  walked  the  quarter-deck, 
watching  the  wind  and  the  weather,  and  kept  the  sails  con 
stantly  trimmed,  according  to  the  breeze.  He  would  also 
cause  a  good  look-out  to  be  kept  on  the  forecastle,  and  rigor 
ously  exacted  from  the  starboard  watch,  that  one  man,  at 
least,  should  at  all  times  be  awake  and  moving. 


226  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES.       ' 

It  was  a  cold,  but  clear,  moonlight  night,  in  the  month  of 
November,  as  the  ship  Mandricardo  was  dashing  along,  with 
the  wind  abeam,  on  soundings,  off  the  entrance  to  the  British 
Channel.  The  starboard  watch  had  the  first  watch  that  night, 
and  Mr.  Armstrong  gave  the  men  strict  orders  to  keep  a  good 
look-out  ahead.  But,  about  seven  bells,  much  to  his  surprise 
and  indignation,  he  became  aware  that  no  one  was  walking 
the  forecastle  deck.  Old  Peter  Petersen,  a  Swede,  a  veteran 
seaman,  who,  by  the  way,  was  hardly  ever  seen  asleep  in  his 
life,  was  leaning  over  the  gunwale  in  the  lee  waist,  quietly 
smoking  a  cheroot.  Rufus  asked  him,  whose  look-out  it 
was. 

"  Jonathan  Doolittle's,"  replied  Peter. 

"  Why,  the  fellow  is  fast  asleep  somewhere  ;  the  good-fpr- 
nothing  vagabond  cannot  be  trusted  ;  he  would  sleep  with  his 
head  in  a  bucket  of  water.  But  I  will  try  to  awaken  him,  at 
any  rate." 

"  Mr.  Armstrong  walked  forward  softly,  and  beheld,  on  the 
inner  part  of  the  bowsprit,  the  gaunt  form  of  Jonathan  Doo- 
little,  stretched  at  full  length ;  his  head  lying  between  the 
knight-heads,  his  capacious  mouth  wide  open,  and  snoring 
away  as  if  for  a  wager  ! 

Rufus  told  Peter  to  keep  silent,  and  draw  a  bucket  of 
water  ;  he  then  went  aft,  and  told  the  man  at  the  wheel  not 
to  be  alarmed  at  any  noise  which  he  might  hear,  and  to  pay 
no  attention  to  any  orders  he  might  give  from  the  forecastle, 
to  alter  the  course.  The  helmsman  grinned  intelligence,  for 
he  knew  Mr.  Armstrong  well. 

Rufus  then  went  forward  again.  Poor  Jonathan  was  still 
in  the  same  position,  transported  to  the  land  of  dreams,  and 
apparently  deeply  engaged  in  bottling  off  sleep,  as  if  to  secure 
a  stock  for  a  long  voyage.  The  second  mate  took  the  bucket 
of  salt  water,  stood  over  Jonathan,  and  gently  poured  a  por 
tion  of  the  contents  into  his  capacious  mouth.  This  was  an 


RUFUS    ARMSTRONG.  "I'll 

awkward  interruption  to  Jonathan's  deep  reveries.  The  poor 
fellow  was  almost  suffocated ;  and  while  he  was  gasping  and 
struggling  to  get  breath,  Rufus  rolled  him  on  deck,  and  dashed 
the  remainder  of  the  water  in  his  face,  at  the  same  time 
screaming  in  a  loud  voice,  "  Hard  down  your  helm,  Jona 
than  's  overboard  !  " 

This  was  all  enacted  in  less  time  than  it  can  be  described ; 
and  the  whole  thing  was  so  admirably  managed,  that  poor 
Doolittle  actually  believed  he  had  fallen  overboard  while 
asleep  on  the  bowsprit,  and  being  a  good  swimmer  he  "struck 
out "  on  the  deck,  as  if  for  dear  life,  and  looked  like  an  over 
grown  frog  trying  to  swim  in  a  basin  of  water.  He  essayed 
to  call  for  help,  but  the  salt  water  in  his  throat  prevented  ; 
and  the  coughing,  and  sputtering,  and  struggling,  of  the  poor 
fellow  were  such,  that  neither  the  second  officer,  nor  Peter 
Petersen,  could  restrain  their  risible  muscles,  but  burst  out 
into  a  laugh,  which  rang  merrily  through  the  ship,  and  was 
the  means  of  bringing  Jonathan  to  his  senses ;  though  not 
before  the  watch  below,  as  well  as  the  remainder  of  the 
watch  on  deck,  roused  by  the  dreadful  cry  of  "  A  man  over 
board,"  had  rushed  to  the  scene  of  action  in  time  to  enjoy 
the  joke. 

Jonathan  Doolittle  was  cured  of  sleeping  on  deck,  and  was 
ever  afterwards  vigilant  when  entrusted  with  the  look-out. 

But  Rufus  was  not  always  lucky  enough  to  get  off  with  a 
whole  skin.  Practical  jokers  are  ever  looked  upon  with  sus 
picion,  are  regarded  as  dangerous  even  though  diverting  mem 
bers  of  society,  and,  not  unfrequently,  are  compelled  to  pay  a 
heavy  penalty  for  cracking  their  jokes. 

Rufus  was  once  on  a  visit  to  an  uncle  of  his,  a  farmer,  who 
resided  in  the  State  of  Maine.  He  passed  some  happy  days 
romping  with  his  pretty  cousins,  and  joking  with  the  lively, 
good-humored  girls,  who  abounded  in  the  neighborhood.  One 
afternoon,  a  number  of  these  "flowers  of  the  human  species," 


228  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

met  at  his  uncle's  house,  and  after  some  mysterious  consulta 
tion,  retired  to  an  unfinished  and  gloomy  room,  in  the  back 
part  of  the  building,  apparently  with  a  view  to  carry  out  some 
wise  plan,  which  their  noddles  had  conceived.  But  they  could 
not  altogether  conceal  their  designs  from  Rufus ;  and  from 
some  conversations  which  he  had  had  with  them  a  few  days 
previous,  as  well  as  from  the  excited  and  wild  looks,  and  flash 
ing  eyes  of  his  fair  cousins,  whenever  they  left  the  scene  of 
action  for  a  few  minutes,  in  order  to  procure  some  kitchen 
utensils,  or  for  other  equally  important  purposes,  he  was  con 
vinced  that  the  girls  were  "  trying  projects,'*  or,  in  other 
words,  were  seeking  to  penetrate  the  mysteries  of  futurity, 
and  learn,  by  certain  mystical  proceedings,  charms,  conjura 
tions,  &c.,  whether  they  should  ever  be  so  fortunate  as  to  be 
married  ;  and,  if  so,  the  names,  characters  and  persons  of  their 
husbands. 

This  is  one  of  the  relics  of  superstition  imported  into  our 
country  from  our  "  father  land."  It  is  still  cherished  in  some 
of  the  interior  villages  in  New  England,  but  is  gradually  be 
coming  extinct,  under  the  all-pervading  influence  of  general 
intelligence. 

An  opportunity  was  thus  presented  to  Rufus  of  playing 
off  upon  the  girls  a  practical  joke ;  and,  without  anticipat 
ing  any  serious  consequences  to  either  the  girls  or  himself, 
he  forthwith  proceeded  to  put  in  execution  his  mischievous 
plans. 

He  had  noticed,  a  few  days  before,  the  hide  of  a  black  ox, 
hanging  over  a  beam  in  the  barn.  The  animal  had  been 
slaughtered  only  a  week  or  two,  and  of  course,  was  not 
divested  of  hair,  horns  or  tail.  Rufus  arrayed  himself  in 
this,  as  an  outer  garment,  in  lieu  of  a  water-proof  pea-jacket ; 
and  arranged  that  portion  of  the  hide,  which  had  covered  the 
cranium  of  the  ox,  when  that  unfortunate  animal  was  living, 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  conceal  the  greater  part  of  his  visage, 


RUFUS   ARMSTRONG. 


.229 


and  display  his  horns  to  the  best  advantage.     He  triced  up 
the  tail  to  produce  a  picturesque  effect,  and  confined  the  hide 


to  his  waist  with  a  large  ox-chain,  with  which  he  took  a  turn 
round  his  body,  and  passed  the  ends  over  his  shoulders,  where 
they  remained  dangling,  looking  very  prettily. 

Thus  whimsically  accoutred,  and  determined  on  sport,  Ru- 
fus  proceeded  to  the  house,  and  entered  by  a  back  door.  He 
moved  stealthily  along  towards  the  room  on  the  lower  floor, 
which  the  girls  had  selected  for  the  theatre  of  their  mysterious 
incantations  and  charms.  He  listened  at  the  door,  but  all  was 
quiet,  for  the  girls  at  that  moment,  were  awaiting  in  silence, 
20 


SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

but  with  fear  and  trembling,  the  result  of  a  terribly  interest 
ing  experiment. 

Rufus  gave  three  stamps  on  the  threshold.  The  girls  turned 
pale,  and  looked  at  each  other  inquiringly.  "  What  can  that 
be  ?  "  said  the  timid  Elmira  Hunt,  gathering  herself  into  as 
.small  a  compass  as  possible,  as  if  she  would  like  to  stow  her 
self  away  in  a  nut-shell. 

"  Jane,"  whispered  another,  "  I  guess  you  had  better  open 
the  door." 

Stamp,  stamp,  STAMP  !  was  repeated,  but  with  more  violence 
than  before. 

"  For  pity's  sake,  Jane,  do  open  the  door  !  "  entreated  one 
of  the  frightened  girls,  in  a  low  and  tremulous  voice. 

Jane,  thus  conjured,  reluctantly  approached  the  door,  and 
drew  back  the  bolt,  to  ascertain  the  character  and  object  of 
this  intruder  upon  their  mystic  ceremonies ;  ceremonies  which 
should  never  be  witnessed  by  the  eye  of  man.  The  door  opened 
with  a  creaking  noise ;  —  Jane  gave  a  piercing  scream,  and 
retreated  as  rapidly  as  if  she  had  been  shot  out  of  a  rail-way 
car  hurled  over  an  embankment,  overturning  two  of  her  com 
panions  ;  and  Rufus  Armstrong,  in  full  costume,  shaking  his 
huge  ox-chain,  and  nourishing  Ms  tail,  stalked  into  the  room, 
bellowing  in  a  loud  and  hoarse  voice,  "HiLLOA  —  HO  —  HO — 
HO  —  HO  !  What  do  you  want  of  ME  ?  " 

The  consternation  which  was  produced  among  this  interest 
ing  bevy  of  girls,  by  the  horrible  apparition  which  stood  in 
the  midst  of  them,  may  be  conceived,  but  cannot  be  described. 
Elmira  Hunt  gave  one  scream,  and  fainted  on  the  spot,  and 
Lavinia  Stevens  followed  her  example ;  Isabella  Davis,  call 
ing  for  help  in  her  loudest  key,  rushed  to  the  window,  and 
turned  a  summersault  out  of  it,  which  would  have  commanded 
the  admiration  or  excited  the  envy  of  the  most  accomplished 
tumbler  at  a  circus,  and  Sarah  Hopkins  followed  her  example ; 
while  Jane  Baxter,  Rufus's  favorite  cousin,  with  two  of  her 


KUFUS   ARMSTRONG.  231 

companions,  made  a  bold  rush  past  the  spectre,  for  the  door, 
shouting  and  screaming  like  the  whistle  of  a  steam-engine, 
only,  of  course,  in  a  more  mellifluous  tone.  Mary  Martin 
crouched  into  the  further  corner  of  the  room,  not  daring  to 
move,  and  hardly  daring  to  breathe,  while  Adeline  Sorner;-, 
concealed  herself  snugly  beneath  the  table.  Rufus,  all  tho 
while  continued  his  hideous  noise,  stamping  and  shaking  hi , 
•chain,  and  wagging  his  head,  in  order  to  set  off  his  horns  I../ 
advantage. 

It  happened  unfortunately  for  Rufus,  that  Jonathan  Baxter, 
wno  had  been  at  work  in  the  field,  digging  potatoes,  was  thea 
approaching  the  house.  He  was  a  tall,  wiry-built  Yankee, 
and,  like  many  other  Yankees,  in  a  good  cause  was  not  afraid 
of  facing  any  being  alive  or  dead,  or  in  whatever  shape  it 
might  appear.  He  had  heard  the  screams  of  the  girls,  and 
in  a  moment  after  saw  his  sister  rushing  towards  him,  as  if 
pursued  by  a  panther,  with  wildness  in  her  eye,  and  terror  ia 
her  countenance. 

Jonathan  was  astonished.  "  What  is  the  matter,  Jane  ?  ' 
said  he.  "  What  is  the  matter  ?" 

But  Jane  was  too  far  gone  to  speak  coherently.  She  coui  -. 
only  point  to  the  house,  and  gasp  out,  "  0  Jonathan  !  —  du 
—  do  —  save  them  !  " 

This  was  enough.  Jonathan  left  Jane  lying  panting  and 
trembling  in  the  path,  and  with  leaps  of  surprising  longitude 
made  his  way  toward  the  house.  As  he  passed  the  corner,  he 
seized  a  hickory  axe-handle,  which  was  quietly  reposing  there, 
unconscious  of  the  work  it  was  destined  to  perform.  He  en 
tered  the  parlor,  where  he  found  no  one  but  Arabella  Tomp- 
kins,  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  and  screaming  as  if  for 
dear  life.  As  soon  as  she  saw  Jonathan,  she  pointed  to  the 
inner  door,  and  said,  "  There,  there  !  " 

Jonathan  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  spectre  through  the  door. 
Astonished,  but  not  daunted  at  the  sight,  he  grasped  his  club 


282  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

with  a  firmer  grasp,  brandished  it  over  his  head,  and  sprang 
forward. 

Rufus  Armstrong  was  chuckling  with  delight  at  the  success 
of  his  joke,  and  was  beginning  to  think  he  had  earned  it  far 
enough,  and  that  it  was  time  to  disencumber  himself  of  his 
disguise,  when  the  axe-handle  alighted  upon  his  head  with  a 
force,  as  if  wielded  by  a  giant's  arm.  The  first  blow  knocked 
off  the  horns,  and  laid  bare  his  head.  The  second  descended  ' 
with  terrific  force  upon  the  loftiest  pinnacle  of  his  cranium. 
Rufus  fell  senseless  to  the  floor,  and  the  huge  chain  rattled 
ominously  as  he  fell.  Jonathan,  however,  had  no  intention  to 
discontinue  the  assault.  He  sprang  with  his  whole  weight 
upon  the  prostrate  spectre,  dropped  his  weapon,  and  grappled 
him  fiercely  by  the  throat.  Then,  and  not  till  then,  he  noted 
the  features  of  the  fiend,  and  was  indeed  astonished  to  find 
that  they  were  those  of  a  comely  young  man,  —  those  of  his 
cousin  and  friend,  Rufus  Armstrong,  by  courtesy,  styled 
Esquire ! 

"  Why,  is  this  you,  Rufus  ?  Who  'd  have  thought  it  ? 
What  trick  are  you  playing  now,  I  should  like  to  know  ?  " 
asked  Jonathan,  as  he  relaxed  his  grip. 

But  Rufus  was  too  far  gone  to  answer.  He  continued  to 
lie  motionless  on  the  floor,  and  Jonathan  perceived,  to  his 
great  alarm,  blood  streaming  from  his  head,  and  forming  a 
pool  on  the  floor.  He  soon  succeeded  in  quieting  the  fears 
of  the  girls,  who  never  afterwards  repeated  the  "  projects," 
which  were  thus  unpleasantly  interrupted ;  and  his  father 
coming  home  about  that  time,  they  stripped  Rufus  of  his  bor 
rowed  plumage,  and  laid  him  in  bed.  His  head  was  laid  open 
to  a  frightful  extent,  and  Jonathan  mounted  his  horse,  and 
rode  off  in  full  gallop  for  a  doctor. 

In  good  time  the  doctor  arrived,  and,  after  a  close  exami 
nation,  declared  the  skull  fractured,  and  that  Rufus  was,  of 
course,  in  a  very  precarious  situation.  The  delicate  operation 


RUFCS   ARMSTRONG. 


233 


of  trepanning,  or  trephining,  was  resorted  to  ;  and,  after  the 
compression  on  the  brain  was  removed,  Rufus  opened  his  eyes, 
and  uttered  a  faint  groan.  But  the  poor  fellow  remained  in  a 
dangerous  state  for  several  weeks,  and  was  the  victim  of  much 
suffering.  His  cousins,  particularly  Jane,  who  accused  herself 
of  being,  in  a  great  measure,  the  cause  of  his  getting  such  a 
terrible  threshing,  nursed  him  with  much  care  and  tenderness, 
and  Rufus  had  a  grateful  heart,  and  prided  himself  on  his 
gallantry.  The  sequel  may  be  imagined.  Rufus  whispered 
a  tender  tale  in  the  ear  of  Jane.  That  young  lady  listened 
to  it  without  displeasure  ;  and  finally  consented  to  become 
his  consort  for  life,  upon  condition  that  he  would  abandon  all 
habits  bordering  on  dissipation,  quit  the  sea,  stay  on  the  land 
and  cherish  his  wife,  and  eschew  practical  jokes,  henceforward 
and  forever. 

Rufus  Armstrong  acceded  to  these  conditions  with  alacrity. 
"  As  to  practical  jokes"  he  said,  with  an  air  of  disgust,  "  I 
detest  them  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart." 

In  about  three  weeks  from  that  time,  the  minister  tied  the 
knot ;  and  Jane  was  heard  to  declare,  with  a  sly  look,  that 
she  believed  there  was  some  good  in  "  projects,"  after  all  ! 


TOM  DUIANY; 

OR, 
AN    IRISHMAN    TAKEN    IN    TOW. 

"  Now  would  I  give  a  thousand  furlongs  of  sea  for  one  acre  of  barren 
ground,  long  heath,  brown  furze,  or  anything.  The  wills  ~ above  be 
done,  but  I  would  fain  die  a  dry  death."  —  SHAKSPEARE. 

•WE  had  a  passenger  on  board  the  ship  Blackbird,  Captain 
Williams,  bound  from  Maranham  to  Boston,  whose  name  was 
Tom  Dulany.  He  was  as  good-hearted  a  fellow  as  ever  left 
the  bright  isle  of  old  Erin,  and  that  is  saying  a  good  deal. 
He  cared  nothing  about  self,  but  was  ever  anxious  to  do  a 
good  turn  to  others.  He  was  a  pleasant  companion,  could 
sing  a  good  song,  tell  a  good  story,  and  loved  a  joke  and  a 
frolic  at  all  times,  and  on  all  occasions. 

But  Tom  Dulany  must  have  been  destitute  altogether  of 
that  mental  organ  which  phrenologists  dignify  by  the  name  of 
cautiousness,  for  he  had  not  a  grain  of  prudence  in  his  char 
acter.  He  always  acted  from  impulse,  never  from  delibera 
tion,  and  was  ever  getting  himself  into  some  disagreeable 
scrape  or  another.  Indeed,  the  circumstances  which  led  him 
to  leave  Maranham,  will  serve  to  explain  his  character  in 
part.  He  met,  in  his  walks  one  afternoon,  a  Portuguese  lady, 
of  remarkable  grace  and  beauty  in  her  features  and  figure. 
Tom's  susceptible  heart  was  inflamed  in  a  moment,  and, 
although  a  dark-looking,  mustachoed  cavalier  accompanied 


TOM    DULASY. 


:  : 


her,  he  stepped  up  to  the  dark-eyed  beauty,  without  waiting 
for  an  introduction,  and  forthwith  began  to  make  the  agreo- 
able.  The  lady  blushed  and  smiled,  and  did  not  seem  disposed 
to  resent  Tom's  familiarity,  for  he  was  a  likely-looking  fellow, 
and  his  address  was  that  of  a  gentleman.  He  was  always  a 
favorite  with  the  ladies,  in  whatever  country  he  visited. 

The  signor,  however,  who  accompanied  the  lady,  and  wlio, 
by  the  way,  was  her  husband,  regarded  the  conduct  of  Tom  as 
exceedingly  impertinent.  His  brow  grew  as  dark  as  midniglit, 
and  portended  a  furious  storm;  and  when  Tom  attempted  to 
take  the  lady's  hand,  in  order  to  give  a  greater  weight  to  a 
compliment  which  he  was  paying  to  her  beauty,  in  his  broken 
Portuguese,  the  scowling  siguor  thought  it  time  to  interfere, 
seized  Tom  roughly  by  the  collar,  and,  with  violence,  thrust 
him  aside.  Tom  was  indignant  at  receiving  such  cavalier 
treatment,  especially  in  the  presence  of  a  lady,  although  he 
richly  deserved  it.  He  shook  off  the  swarthy  Portuguese, 
and,  levelling  a  blow  at  his  lantern  jaws,  knocked  him  do\vu 
as  flat  as  a  flounder.  The  lady  screamed.  Some  soldiers 
made  their  appearance,  and  Tom,  finding  the  affair  likely  to 
prove  a  serious  one,  thought  the  wisest  course  for  him  was  to 
retreat  with  all  convenient  despatch.  He  gave  leg-bail  Ac 
cordingly,  distanced  the  soldiers  in  the  race,  and  succeeded  in 
making  his  escape.  He  learned,  a  few  hours  afterwar  la, 
that  the  lady,  who,  by  the  brilliancy  of  her  charms,  had  been 
involuntarily  the  cause  of  the  difficulty,  was  a  niece  of  t!»e 
governor,  and  that  her  husband,  an  officer  of  rank,  was  fivn- 
tic  with  rage,  and  had  ordered  officers  to  seek  him  in  all 
directions,  that  he  might  be  revenged  on  him  for  the  blow 
which  he  had  received.  Tom  knew  that  close  imprisonment, 
for  an  indefinite  time,  was  the  mildest  punishment  which  lie 
could  expect,  if  taken,  and,  therefore,  lost  no  time  in  gather 
ing  his  traps  together,  and,  in  the  course  of  the  night,  sim  :- 
gled  himself  on  board  the  Blackbird.  On  the  following  <Ly 


236  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

he  left  the  dark-eyed  Portuguese  beauty,  and  her  fierce  and 
vindictive  husband,  far  behind. 

On  the  passage,  when  near  the  equinoctial  line,  one  fore 
noon  the  wind  died  away,  the  sea  was  quite  smooth,  and  the 
weather  extremely  hot.  Tom  Dulany  said  he  must  have  a 
swim.  Captain  Williams  remonstrated  against  this  whim, 
and  stated  that  sharks  were  frequently  seen  in  those  lati 
tudes  ;  that  in  a  calm  they  were  almost  certain  to  make  their 
appearance,  and  would  sometimes  lie  perdu  beneath  the  vessel, 
until  something  fell  into  the  water  which  would  suit  their  not 
very  fastidious  appetites,  when  they  would  attack  it  with 
terrific  voracity.  Tom  listened  to  his  arguments,  but  was  not 
convinced.  Captain  Williams  told  Tom,  further,  that  these 
sharks  delighted  in  getting  hold  of  a  good,  hearty  human 
being,  now  and  then,  just  by  way  of  change ;  and  that  noth 
ing  would  give  them  greater  satisfaction  than  to  try  the 
flavor  of  a  full-blooded  Irishman,  especially  if  he  sported  a 
bit  of  the  brogue.  But  it  was  all  to  no  purpose ;  Tom  per 
sisted  in  his  resolution  to  have  a  swim. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Dulany,"  said  Captain  Williams,  "  if  you  are 
determined  to  go  overboard,  I  insist  on  your  putting  on  my 
cork-jacket.  You  will  be  safer  with  that  than  with  nothing 
on,  any  how." 

Tom  demurred  at  this,  declaring  that  he  could  swim  like  a 
fish,  without  the  assistance  of  a  cork -jacket.  But  the  captain 
was  inexorable,  and  carried  his  point.  Tom  put  on  the  cork- 
jacket,  which  was  a  noble  one,  buoying  his  head  and  shoulders 
high  above  the  water,  and  overboard  he  went.  He  did  not 
like  this  new  apparatus  for  swimming,  but  it  was  too  late  to 
remedy  the  difficulty,  and  he  paddled  away  at  a  furious  rate, 
enjoying  the  delicious  sport,  until  one  of  the  men  on  the  fore 
castle  fixed  his  eye  on  something  at  a  distance,  and  shouted 
aloud,  "  There  's  a  shark  !  "  And,  sure  enough,  the  fin  of  a 
huge  sea  monster  was  seen,  rising  out  of  the  ocean  at  a  few 


TOM    DULANY.  237 

rods  distance.  Tom,  having  no  wish  to  do  battle  with  a  shark 
in  his  own  element,  came  alongside  in  double  quick  time,  and 
was  helped  on  board  before  the  big  fish  had  time  to  pay  his 
respects  to  his  leg,  if  carnivorously  disposed.  It  was  soon 
ascertained,  however,  that  the  fins  which  had  excited  the 
alarm,  belonged  not  to  a  shark,  but  to  an  albicore,  an  animal 
that  is  exceedingly  fond  of  fish,  but  seldom  meddles  with  flesh. 
He  was  a  huge  fellow,  some  nine  or  ten  feet  long,  and  as 
strong  as  a  whale. 

Tom  Dulany  was  indignant  at  being  interrupted  in  his 
sport  by  an  albicore,  and  threatened  vengeance  against  the 
fish,  whose  appearance  was  so  malapropos,  causing  him  to 
scramble  out  of  the  water  in  a  most  undignified  manner,  and, 
what  was  worse,  barking  his  shin  badly  as  he  was  climbing 
up  the  side.  Without  waiting  to  make  any  alteration  in  his 
garments,  without  even  taking  off  his  cork-jacket,  he  seized  a 
stout  five-pronged  pair  of  grainse  which  we  had  on  board,  ran 
out  on  the  bowsprit,  and  lowered  himself  down  on  the  martin 
gale  stay,  with  the  bloody  intent  of  killing  and  capturing  the 
albicore. 

Captain  Williams  assured  Tom  that,  even  if  he  could  plant 
the  grainse  in  the  body  of  the  fish,  it  would  be  of  little  use, 
as  the  albicore  was  a  large  and  very  powerful  animal,  and,  if 
struck,  would  soon,  by  his  violent  struggles,  free  himself  from 
the  instrument  of  death,  or  part  the  line,  and  carry  off  the 
grainse  in  triumph !  Tom,  however,  was  resolved,  as  he  said, 
to  teach  the  albicore  better  manners  than  to  come  near  a 
gentleman  when  he  was  bathing,  and  to  pass  himself  off  for  a 
shark.  Besides,  he  began  to  think  it  would  be  capital  sport 
to  capture  the  albicore. 

Tom  took  his  station  beneath  the  bowsprit,  on  the  martin 
gale.  The  fish  was  soon  seen  approaching  the  bows  of  the 
ship,  unconscious  of  the  inhospitable  reception  with  which  it 
was  in  contemplation  to  greet  him.  The  mate,  seeing  how 


238  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

matters  stood,  and  being  apprehensive  of  losing  the  grainse, 
called  out  to  Mr.  Dulany  to  make  fast  the  rope  which  was 
attached  to  the  grainse,  and  Tom,  perceiving  the  propriety  of 
the  order,  without  reflection  complied  with  it  by  taking  a 
timber-hitch  around  his  own  body,  just  below  the  armpits ! 

He  had  hardly  got  the  end  of  the  rope  secured  in  this  way, 
before  the  albicore  was  under  the  bows,  crossing  the  hawse, 
and  swimming  gracefully  along,  just  below  the  surface  of  the 
water.  Tom's  heart  beat  quicker  than  was  its  wont.  He 
pointed  the  death-dealing  weapon,  lifted  it  as  high  in  air  as 
his  arms  could  reach,  and  then  threw  it,  with  all  the  force  of 
which  he  was  capable,  into  the  lower  part  of  th£  back  of  the 
ill-fated,  albicore! 

The  fish  was  surprised,  and  not  a  little  vexed,  at  such  an 
unceremonious  proceeding,  and,  naturally  desirous  of  avoiding 
a  repetition  of  similar  favors,  started  off  with  great  velocity, 
with  the  grainse  firmly  fixed  in  the  muscles  of  his  back.  The 
line,  one  end  of  which  was  attached  to  the  grainse-staff,  and 
the  other  to  Tom's  body,  was  a  piece  of  small,  but  new,  nine- 
thread  rattlin-stuff,  and  about  ten  fathoms  long.  This  was  all 
run  out  in  a  hurry.  But,  even  then,  the  affrighted  fish  showed 
no  inclination  to  pause  in  his  mad  career.  Either  not  know 
ing  the  effect  which  his  further  progress  would  have  upon 
Tom,  or  not  caring  for  it,  he  did  not  even  slacken  his  pace, 
the  consequence  of  which  was,  that  Tom  Dulany  was  most 
unexpectedly,  and  reluctantly,  on  his  part,  jerked  with  tre 
mendous  violence  from  the  martingale,  where  he  was  standing, 
laughing  at  the  mischief  he  had  done,  into  the  sea  ! 

It  was  no  longer  a  laughing  matter,  and,  for  once  in  his 
life,  Tom  lost  his  presence  of  mind ;  but  the  captain's  cork- 
jacket,  which  he  fortunately  had  on,  did  him  good  service ;  it 
floated  him  on  top  of  the  water.  It  was  a  curious  sight  to 
see  that  fish  darting  rapidly  along,  keeping  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  surface,  and  towing  off,  at  the  rate  of  ten  or  twelve 


TOM    DULANY. 


239 


knots  an  hour,  Tom  Dulany,  who,  sometimes  with  his  head 
towards  the  ship,  and  sometimes  towards  the  finny  friend  to 
whom  he  was  attached  by  ties  not  easily  severed ;  sometimes 
in  one  position,  and  sometimes  in  another,  with  his  features 
distorted  with  terror,  bellowed  out  for  assistance  with  all  his 
might ! 


The  ship's  company,  a  set  of  merry  dogs,  although  they 
liked  Tom  passing  well,  and  were  alarmed  at  the  awkward 
position  in  which  he  was  placed,  could  not,  for  their  lives, 
help  laughing  heartily.  But  Captain  Williams  viewed  the 
business  in  a  serious  light,  and  ordered  the  quarter-boat  to 
be  lowered  immediately,  which  was  done,  and  the  second  mate 
and  four  men  started  off  on  a  wild-goose  chase,  after  Tom. 
It  was  lucky  for  him  that  his  friend,  the  albicore,  had  lost 
his  presence  of  mind  also,  and,  instead  of  steering  in  a  direc 
tion  to  place  the  greatest  possible  distance  between  him  and 
the  ship,  was  proceeding  on  a  most  crooked  course,  with  his 
head  by  turns  towards  every  point  of  the  compass;  and  he 


240  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

changed  his  course  so  frequently  and  so  suddenly,  without 
consulting  his  companion,  that  the  awkwardness  of  Tom's 
position  was  much  increased  thereby.  Sometimes  the  poor 
fellow  was  towed  along  very  steadily,  when  suddenly  the  fish 
would  alter  his  course,  and  Dulany  would  be  flopped  over  on 
his  back  or  his  side,  without  ceremony ;  but,  with  the  assis 
tance  of  the  cork-jacket,  he  managed  to  keep  his  head  above 
water  the  greater  part  of  the  time,  although  he  was  con 
strained  to  swallow  much  larger  quantities  of  the  "  briny  ele 
ment,"  than  he  was  accustomed  to,  or  than,  indeed,  was 
agreeable  to  him ;  and  he  rejoiced  from  the  bottom  of  his 
heart  when  he  saw  that  the  boat  was  starting  to  his  rescue ; 
for  the  business  was  becoming  tedious,  and,  what  with  his 
struggles,  and  his  bellowings,  and  his  saline  draughts,  he  was 
getting  rather  exhausted. 

Now  Mr.  Davis,  the  second  mate,  bade  the  men  in  the  boat 
give  way  with  a  will,  and  off  they  dashed,  "  full  chisel,"  after 
the  albicore,  or,  rather,  poor  Tom  Dulany,  who  was  fastened 
to  him.  But  the  thing  was  not  so  easily  done  as  could  be 
wished,  for  the  albicore,  although  evidently  losing  his  strength, 
exerted  all  his  energies  to  keep  at  a  good  distance  from  the 
boat,  and  tacked  ship  several  times  with  great  adroitness,  to 
the  great  discomfiture  of  our  friend  Tom.  Once,  indeed,  by 
an  expert  manoeuvre,  Mr.  Davis  succeeded  in  getting  between 
the  albicore  and  Dulany,  and  he  and  Bob  Nicholson,  who 
pulled  the  after  oar,  laid  hold  of  Tom  by  the  hair  of  his  head 
and  by  his  ears,  and  exerted  all  their  strength  to  get  him  into 
the  boat,  when  the  albicore  made  a  convulsive  spring,  and 
fairly  jerked  Tom  out*  of  their  hands,  to  the  great  mortifica 
tion  of  the  second  mate  and  crew,  and  succeeded  in  carrying 
him  off  again  in  triumph,  at  the  rate  of  seven  or  eight  knots  ! 

Captain  Williams,  seeing  how  matters  were  going,  began  to 
be  seriously  alarmed  for  the  fate  of  his  mad-cap  passenger, 
and  ordered  the  stern  boat  to  be  lowered  and  manned,  which 


TOM    DULANY. 

was  no  sooner  said  than  done.  Mr.  Nichols,  the  first  officer, 
and  four  stalwart  seamen,  stepped  in,  and  joined  in  the  chase 
after  Tom  Dulany  and  the  albicore,  both  of  whom  were  about 
half  a  mile  off  at  this  time.  It  was  glorious  sport  for  the 
sailors,  who  enjoyed  it  exceedingly ;  but  it  was  thought,  at 
the  time,  that  the  case  was  different  with  regard  to  the  Irish 
man  and  the  fi^h  ;  at  least,  Tom's  countenance,  when  a  fair 
sight  of  it  could  be  got,  exhibited  anything  but  pleasure.  It 
looked,  Mr.  Davis  said,  for  all  the  world,  like  a  Dutch  galliot, 
caught  in  a  severe  squall. 

This  chase  was  continued  for  about  twenty  minutes  by  both 
boats,  when  Mr.  Nichols  contrived  to  come  alongside  of  Tom, 
while  Mr.  Davis,  in  the  quarter-boat,  was  heading  the  albi 
core  off.  Mr.  Nichols  did  not  at  first  attempt  to  haul  Tom 
into  the  boat,  when  he  got  hold  of  him,  but  with  a  sharp 
jack-knife  severed  the  line  which  attached  him  to  the  albicore, 
and  then  roused  him  on  board  at  his  leisure  !  The  albicore, 
thus  relieved  of  the  clog  which  had  so  long  and  so  unaccount 
ably  impeded  his  progress  through  the  water,  darted  off  on  a 
tangent,  with  the  grainse  sticking  to  him,  and  has  never  been 
seen  since  ! 

Tom  Dulany  was  conveyed  on  board,  looking  as  sick  and 
as  sorry  as  a  mast-headed  midshipman  in  a  gale  of  wind. 
Indeed,  he  was  hardly  able  to  crawl  up  the  ship's  side,  and 
did  not  make  his  appearance  on  deck  for  two  days.  He 
learned  wisdom,  however,  from  his  adventure,  and  has  often 
been  since  heard  to  say,  that  he  would  never  willingly  take 
another  cruise,  with  an  albicore  for  a  pilot ! 
21 


THE   SAILOR'S   REVENGE. 

"  Despiteful  and  intolerable  wrong  ! 

Shall  I  endure  such  monstrous  villany  1  " 

SHAKSPEARE. 

HARRY  WILDER  was  the  son  of  one  of  our  New  Eng 
land  farmers,  the  most  honest,  noble-minded,  and  happy  class 
of  people  in  the  world.  But  in  an  evil  hour  Harry  deter 
mined  to  go  to  sea.  He  took  a  foolish  fancy  for  a  roving, 
adventurous  life,  and  thought  there  must  be  something  mighty 
pleasant  in  facing  a  clear  whistling  north-wester,  on  the 
coast  in  the  month  of  January,  or  standing  at  the  pump 
hour  after  hour,  striving  to  keep  some  old  and  leaky  ship 
afloat  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic.  He,  therefore,  one  fine 
summer's  morning  bade  farewell  to  his  father's  farm,  where  he 
had  passed  so  many  pleasant  hours,  took  a  parting  look  at  his 
old  four-footed  friends,  which  were  grazing  in  the  pastures, 
gave  old  Towser  a  farewell  pat  on  his  head,  shook  his  father 
and  mother  by  the  hand,  laughed  at  their  superstitious  fears, 
while  a  tear  trickled  down  his  own  cheek,  and  jumped  into  the 
mail  coach.  The  driver  cracked  his  whip,  the  horses  started, 
and  away  whirled  the  carriage  towards  Boston. 

Harry  was  a  fine-looking  young  fellow,  and  soon  got  a 
chance  to  ship  as  a  green  hand ;  but  he  found  that  "  going  to 
sea,"  after  all,  was  not  such  a  grand  thing  as  it  was  cracked 
up  to  be.  He  did  not  like  the  idea  of  going  aloft  to  send 
down  top-gallant  yards  in  a  gale  of  wind,  or  of  being  roused 
out  to  reef  topsails  in  a  cold,  dark,  rainy  night,  just  as  he 


THE  SAILOR'S  REVENGE.  243- 

x 
had  got  cleverly  stowed  away  in  his  berth,  and  was  dreaming 

of  home.  Nor  was  he  particularly  pleased  with  his  fare, 
which  consisted  principally  of  salt  junk,  mouldy  biscuit,  —  the 
remnants  of  a  previous  voyage,  —  and  water,  which  was  not 
remarkable  for  its  purity ;  that  is,  it  was  destitute  of  neither 
taste,  color,  nor  smell.  Harry  often  thought  of  the-  snug 
little  chamber  in  his  father's  house,  where,  when  he  turned  in 
in  the  evening,  with  the  bed-clothes  nicely  tucked  up,  he  was 
pretty  secure  of  remaining  comfortable  until  sunrise  the  next 
morning,  whether  it  blew  high  or  blew  low,  without  being  dis 
turbed  by  the  cry  of  "  Larboard  wateh,  ahoy  !  "  or  the  more 
unpleasant  shout  of  "  All  hands,  ahoy !  Tumble  up  there, 
below  !  "  And  he  often  reflected,  until  his  mouth  actually 
watered,  upon  the  delicious  tit-bits,  which  he  had  devoured  in 
his  mother's  dairy,  and  wondered  why  he  came  to  be  such  a 
fool  as  to  quit  a  happy  life  on  shore,  for  a  dog's  life  at  sea. 

But  Harry  was  a  fellow  of  some  spirit,  and  not  a  little 
pride.  He  feared  that,  if  he  returned  home,  his  friends  would 
laugh  at  him  for  undertaking  an  enterprise  which  he  had  not 
nerve  enough  to  carry  through ;  and,  like  many  other  poor  fel 
lows  in  his  situation,  he  resolved  to  persist  in  going  to  sea, 
because  he  was  ashamed  to  acknowledge  he  had  been  disap 
pointed.  Harry  pursued  this  business  for  three  or  four  years, 
by  which  time  he  understood  a  seaman's  duty,  as  thoroughly  as 
any  chap  who  ever  undertook  to  splice,  without  a  marlinspike, 
a  wiry,  four-stranded  rope,  with  the  thermometer  at  zero. 
Harry  finally  got  enough  of  going  to  sea. 

The  last  voyage  which  Harry  made  was  with  Captain  Bin- 
nacle,  whose  reputation,  as  far  as  it  regarded  treatment  of  his 
men,  was  none  of  the  best.  Indeed,  he  found  it  difficult, 
where  he  was  best  known,  to  obtain  a  crew.  But  Harry 
argued  that  he  knew  his  duty,  and  was  able  to  do  it ;  that  he 
asked  no  favors,  and  cared  not  whom  he  sailed  with.  And, 
indeed,  no  reasonable  man  could  ever  have  found  fault  with 


244  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

Harry ;  for  he  was  no  grumbler,  but  always  respectful  and 
obedient  to  his  officers,  obliging  to  his  shipmates,  and  active 
in  the  performance  of  his  duty.  But  Captain  Binnacle  was 
fond  of  a  tumbler  of  brandy  toddy,  now  arid  then,  and  was  a 
real  lover  of  old  Madeira  at  all  times, —  a  circumstance  which 
had  never  entered  into  Harry's  calculations,  —  and  when  the 
skipper  was  under  the  influence  of  these  potations,  he  was  no 
longer  Captain  Binnacle,  but  an  impetuous,  hair-brained, 
quarrelsome  bully.  At  these  times  there  was  no  such  thing 
as  pleasing  him ;  he  quarrelled  with  his  mates,  swore  at  the 
men,  and  by  carrying  sail  without  regard  to  prudence,  taking 
counsel  only  of  the  brandy-bottle,  endangered  the  lives  of  all 
on  board. 

Harry,  however,  being,  as  we  have  hinted,  of  a  quiet,  good- 
natured  disposition,  got  along  with  him  pretty  well  on  the  pas 
sage  out,  although  he  sometimes  longed  to  give  utterance  to 
his  feelings,  and  tell  the  captain,  when  exerting  drunken 
authority  on  board,  precisely  what  he  thought  of  him.  On 
the  passage  home,  one  afternoon,  the  wind  was  blowing  a  fresh 
breeze  from  the  north-east.  The  ship  was  staggering  along  under 
all  sail,  including  the  spanker,  which  griped  her  very  much, 
and  made  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  steer  a  straight  course. 
Harry  was  at  the  wheel.  The  captain  was  in  the  cabin, 
drinking  his  wine  after  dinner,  as  usual,  and  had  given  the 
officer  of  the  watch  orders  to  keep  spread  every  inch  of  sail. 
It  was  about  four  o'clock  when  he  came  reeling  on  deck.  The 
ship  was  walking  it  off  at  a  great  rate,  with  the  wind  about 
three  points  on  the  starboard  quarter,  and,  in  spite  of  Harry's 
eiforts,  —  and  he  worked  like  a  good  fellow, — the  wake  of  the 
deeply-laden  ship  was  almost  as  crooked  as  some  of  the  streets 
of  Boston. 

Captain  Binnacle  berated  Harry  severely  for  steering  so 
wildly,  in  language  which  was  not  remarkable  for  its  taste  or 
purity;  indeed,  he  showered  down  upon  him  almost  every 


TIIE    SAILOIi'3    KEVEXGE.  -45 

common-place  epithet,  excepting  that  of  a  gentleman  or  its 
equivalent.  Harry  bore  it  for  a  while  without  speaking  a 
word,  although  he  looked  rather  unamiable.  At  length  he 
bluntly  told  Captain  Binnacle  that  he  could  steer  the  ship  as 
well  as  any  man  on  board,  but  that  it  was  impossible  to  steer 
small  while  there  was  such  a  press  of  after  sail  on  the  ship. 
"  Brail  up  the  spanker,"  said  Harry,  "  and  then  she  will  steer 
easy  enough;  ay,  and  sail  faster,  too!"  and  Harry  was  in 
the  right  of  it,  although,  it  must  be  confessed,  his  advice  was 
strangely  ill-timed. 

Captain  Binnacle  absolutely  foamed  with  rage  at  the  idea 
of  one  of  his  sailors  daring  to  bandy  words  with  him.  "  You 
impudent  scoundrel !  "  said  he,  "  how  dare  you  talk  to  me  in 
that  manner  ?  "  And  while  Harry  was  hard  at  work,  trying 
to  put  the  helm  a-weather  to  prevent  a  broad  sheer,  which  the 
old  ship  threatened  to  take,  the  indignant  and  more  than  half- 
drunken  captain  gave  "him  a  blow  with  his  clenched  fist,  under 
the  ear,  which  felled  him  to  the  deck. 

The  mates  saw  the  blow,  and  from  what  they  knew  of  the 
character  of  Harry,  who  was  a  full-blooded  Yankee,  feared 
that  he  would  resist  it  in  a  manly  manner,  without  regard  to 
time  or  place,  and  stepped  forward  to  prevent  him.  It  was 
lucky  for  the  captain  that  they  did  so,  or  Harry  would  have 
thrown  him,  without  ceremony,  over  the  quarter-rail  into  the 
wide  Atlantic,  to  teach  him  better  manners  in  future.  His 
kind  intentions  being  thus  balked,  he  solemnly  swore,  in  a 
voice  tremulous  with  passion,  while  his  eyes  gleamed  with 
fury,  that  he  would  be  fully  revenged  for  the  How  he  had 
received!  Captain  Binnacle  cowered  beneath  the  dark  and 
fierce  glance  of  the  young  sailor,  and  called  to  the  steward  for 
his  pistols  ;  but,  just  at  that  moment,  the  ship  having  broached 
to,  all  three  of  the  topmasts  were  snapped  off  close  to  the 
caps.  Here  was  a  pretty  piece  of  business,  which  sobered 
21* 


246  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

Captain  Binnacle,  and  all  hands  were  soon  employed  in  clear 
ing  away  the  wreck. 

In  a  few  days  after  this  disaster,  the  ship  arrived  in  Bos 
ton.  Captain  Binnacle  was  aware  that  Harry  had  deter 
mined  to  give  him  a  sound  threshing,  as  a  receipt  in 
full,  the  first  time  he  met  him  on  shore.  Some  of  the 
other  seamen  also  owed  him  a  small  balance,  and  were  deter 
mined  to  pay  it  with  interest.  He,  therefore,  wisely  concluded 
not  to  throw  temptations  in  their  way,  but  entered  the  vessel 
at  the  Custom  House  as  quickly  as  possible,  deposited  his 
accounts  with  the  owners,  and  left  Boston  for  a  brief  period, 
without  even  bidding  farewell  to  one  of  his  shipmates. 

Several  years  passed  away,  when,  one  cold  evening  in  the 
month  of  February,  a  double  sleigh,  containing  two  travellers, 
a  gentleman  and  a  lady,  was  seen  slowly  proceeding  along  the 
outskirts  of  a  village  in  the  interior  of  Massachusetts.  The 
snow  had  fallen  in  the  morning  to  the  depth  of  nearly  a  foot, 
and,  towards  night,  a  strong  wind  had  sprung  up  from  the 
north-west,  and  the  road  was  filled  with  mountainous  drifts, 
piled  one  upon  another,  like  the  Alps  in  miniature,  which 
seemed  to  have  been  formed  by  magic;  and  our  travellers 
found  great  difficulty  in  proceeding  on  their  way.  The  gentle 
man,  however  (who,  by  the  way,  was  no  other  than  our  old 
friend  Captain  Binnacle),  urged  on  his  horses,  and,  by  turn 
ing  out  occasionally  into  the  adjacent  fields,  to  avoid  a  suc 
cession  of  particularly  high  snow-drifts,  he  hoped  to  be  able  to 
reach  the  tavern  in  the  neighboring  hamlet.  But  his  horses, 
by  struggling  in  the  snow,  became  exhausted ;  his  wife  was 
chilled  with  the  cold,  although  enveloped  in  a  rich  fur  pelisse, 
the  thermometer  having  sunk  to  nearly  zero,  and  his  own 
wonted  courage  and  energy  were  rapidly  ebbing  away,  when 
his  horses,  with  the  sleigh  attached,  plunged  into  a  huge 
snow-bank,  and,  after  floundering  convulsively  for  a  few 
moments,  stuck  fast ;  all  Captain  Binnacle's  efforts  to  extri- 


THE  SAILOR'S  REVENGE.  247 

cate  them  from  their  unpleasant  situation  x  proving  fruitless. 
This  was  undoubtedly  an  awkward  position  to  be  placed  in, 
as  the  mantle  of  night  had  already  overshadowed  the  earth, 
and  the  travellers  seemed  to  feel  their  unhappy  predicament 
in  all  its  force.  But  something  must  be  done  at  once,  or  they 
would  both  perish  by  cold.  Captain  Binnacle,  in  a  voice 
which  resembled  a  funeral  knell,  bade  his  wife  be  of  good 
cheer,  and  he  would  look  around  for  assistance,  or  devise  some 
expedient  to  overcome  their  present  difficulties. 

With  much  labor,  he  forced  his  way  through  the  snow 
drifts  for  a  few  rods,  shouting  all  the  time  for  help  ;  but  no 
help  came,  and  he  began  to  think  that  his  voyages  were  over, 
and  that,  after  all  his  perils  by  sea,  he  was  about  to  perish 
ignobly  in  a  snow-bank. 

Just  at  this  moment  he  fancied  he  saw  the  glimmering  of  a 
light  at  a  distance.  This  revived  his  hopes  and  his  energies. 
He  pushed  onward,  and  soon  became  convinced  it  was  no  illu 
sion.  In  a  few  moments  he  had  arrived  in  front  of  a  com 
fortable-looking  farm-house.  Without  stopping  to  go  through 
the  ceremony  of  knocking,  he  lifted  the  latch,  and  entered  the 
apartment  where  the  family  were  assembled,  and  the  sight 
which  he  there  beheld  carried  comfort  to  his  heart. 

An  old-fashioned  wood  fire,  made  of  massy  sticks  of  yellow 
oak  and  walnut,  burnt  cheerily  on  the  hearth,  and  diffused  a 
genial  warmth,  as  well  as  abundance  of  light,  through  the 
room,  while  the  wild  westerly  wind  whistled  gloomily  with 
out.  A  good-looking  young  woman,  on  whose  pleasing  feat 
ures  health  and  happiness  were  stamped  in  characters  not  to 
be  mistaken,  was  engaged  in  clearing  off  the  things  from  the 
supper-table.  A  robust  lad,  about  seventeen  years  of  age, 
was  seated  on  one  side  of  the  fire-place,  and  busily  em 
ployed  in  perusing  the  columns  of  a  newspaper,  a  good 
employment  for  leisure  hours.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
hearth  sat  a  hearty-looking  man,  apparently  a  farmer,  about 


248  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

thirty  years  of  age,  who  was  hard  at  work,  endeavoring  to 
instruct  a  chubby  little  fellow,  about  three  years  of  age,  in 
the  rudiments  of  learning.  The  whole  picture  presented  a 
scene  of  happiness  which  is  often  witnessed  beneath  the  roof 
of  the  New  England  farmer. 

The  inmates  of  the  house  started  up  at  the  abrupt  entrance 
of  Captain  Binnacle,  and  exhibited  some  marks  of  astonish 
ment.  He  told  his  story,  and  had  no  sooner  mentioned  that 
he  had  left  his  wife  freezing  to  death  in  a  sleigh,  not  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  distant,  than  all  was  bustle.  A  couple  of 
shovels  were  soon  mustered,  and,  after  considerable  labor,  the 
horses  were  released  from  the  snow-bank,  and,  with  the  sleigh 
attached,  were  led  towards  the  house,  which,  after  a  great  deal 
of  shovelling,  was  reached.  Mrs.  Binnacle  was  soon  installed 
in  the  large  rocking-chair,  in  front  of  a  good  fire,  and,  after 
drinking  a  few  cups  of  tea,  and  joining  her  husband  in  demol 
ishing  a  plate  of  fried  ham  and  eggs,  and  some  glorious  drop- 
cakes,  &c.,  she  declared  that  she  felt  quite  nice  and  comfort 
able.  The  captain  was  profuse  in  his  professions  of  gratitude ; 
but  his  host,  although  he  neglected  nothing  which  could  con 
tribute  to  the  convenience  of  his  guests,  seemed  remarkably 
serious  and  taciturn.  He  asked  no  questions  of  the  travellers, 
and  to  the  many  questions  which  were  proposed  to  him  he 
answered  only  by  monosyllables.  The  "  best  bed  "  was  soon 
got  ready  for  the  accommodation  of  the  captain  and  his  lady  ; 
to  which  they,  nothing  loath,  retired  at  an  early  hour. 

By  sunrise  the  next  morning,  all  the  inhabitants  of  that 
part  of  the  country  were  actively  employed,  with  numerous 
teams  of  cattle,  in  breaking  out  the  roads,  and  a  grand  frolic 
they  made  of  it.  By  the  time  that  Captain  Binnacle  and  his 
wife  descended  to  the  sitting-room,  with  their  strength  and 
spirits  recruited  after  a  good  night's  rest,  the  roads  were  de 
clared  passable.  A  substantial  breakfast  was  placed  before 
them,  to  which  they  did  justice.  Their  horses,  which  had 


THE    SAILOR  S   REVENGE. 


249 


been  well  taken  care  of,  and  sleigh  were  brought  to  the  door, 
and,  with  many  thanks  for  the  hospitality  with  which  they 
had  been  entertained,  to  which  their  host  answered  but  by  a 
grim  smile,  they  prepared  to  depart.  Captain  Binnacle 
handed  his  wife  into  the  sleigh,  then  took  a  bank-bill  from 
his  pocket-book,  and  offered  to  his  host,  as  a  small  com 
pensation,  he  said,  for  his  trouble,  in  ministering  to  their 
wants.  But  the  honest  farmer  rejected  the  proffered  reward 
with  a  contemptuous  wave  of  his  hand. 


"  Captain  Binnacle,"  said  he,  in  a  deep  and  impressive 
tone,  "  you  do  not  know  me.  Look  me  in  the  face.  Surely 
a  few  short  years  cannot  have  effected  such  a  change  in  my 
features,  that  you  can  no  longer  recognize  HENRY  WILDER  ! 


250 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


Yes,  Captain  Binnacle,  you  see  before  you  the  man  whom  you 
abused  and  maltreated  without  a  shadow  of  cause ;  the  man 
whom,  protected  by  the  brief  authority  you  then  exercised, 
you  struck  like  a  coward,  as  you  were.  I  then  solemnly  de 
clared  that  I  would  be  revenged,  if  an  opportunity  ever  oc 
curred  ;  and  if  I  had  met  you  in  the  streets  of  Boston,  I  would 
have  exacted  a  fearful  penalty  fbr  that  blow.  It  is  better, 
however,  as  it  is.  You  have  come  to  me,  unexpectedly,  as 
a  suppliant ;  you  were  in  distress,  and  I  have  relieved  you. 
J  am  avenged  I  You  may  go  your  way  in  peace." 

Captain  Binnacle  stood  for  a  moment  a  statue  of  surprise. 
He  was,  to  use  his  own  favorite  expression,  "  taken  all  aback." 
His  cheeks  turned  pale,  his  lips  quivered  with  dismay,  and 
his  astonished  wife,  who  was  a  silent  spectator  of  the  scene, 
blushed  for  her  husband.  Recovering  from  his  stupor,  he 
stepped  into  his  sleigh  without  saying  a  word,  gave  his  horses 
the  lash,  and  they  dashed  off  at  a  rattling  pace;  but  he  will 
never  again  forget  the  features  or  the  voice  of  Henry  Wilder. 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN. 

"  Zounds  !  lady,  do  not  give  such  heavy  blows  ; 
I  'm  not  your  husband,  as  belike  you  guess." 

JOAXXA  BAILLIE. 

A  FEW  nights  after  Frank  Granger  had  recounted  to  his 
admiring  shipmates  his  first  courting  adventure  with  Hannah 
Hartshorn,  the  ship  True  Blue  was  snugly  lying  to  under  a 
close-reefed  main-topsail  and  reefed  foresail.  The  wind  was 
blowing  a  strong  but  steady  gale  from  the  north-east,  but  the 
sea  was  regular,  and  the  old  ship  floated  on  the  water  as  dry 
and  as  stately  as  an  albatross  off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
The  larboard  watch  on  deck  were  huddled  together  under  the 
weather  bulwarks,  and  trying  to  make  themselves  as  com 
fortable  as  circumstances  would  allow.  Each  tar  was  closely 
enveloped  in  a  good  stout  pea-jacket,  with  a  tarpaulin  hat 
covering  his  calabash,  and  a  coarse  cotton  handkerchief  or 
"  comforter  "  around  his  neck.  Sailors  like  to  be  comfortable 
at  times  as  well  as  landsmen. 

They  listened  in  silence,  for  the  space  of  at  least  one  glass, 
to  the  murmurs  of  the  wind,  and  its  mournful  cadences,  as  it 
passed  through  the  rigging,  and  the  monotonous  sound  of  the 
waves  lashing  themselves  into  a  fury,  or  dashing  with  impo 
tent  rage  against  the  substantial  sides  of  the  ship.  They  did 
not  feel  positively  sleepy,  for  they  had  enjoyed  watch  and 
watch  for  several  days ;  and,  there  being  no  excitement,  and 
nothing  to  do,  "  alow  or  aloft,"  after  indulging  for  a  while  in 
philosophical  reflections,  or  building  a  few  castles  in  the  air, 


252  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

the  time  hung  rather  heavily  on  their  hands,  although,  it  must 
be  admitted,  that,  as  a  general  principle,  sailors  are  not 
much  troubled  with  "  ennui" 

The  silence  was  at  last  broken  by  Jack  Dale.  "  I  say, 
shipmates,"  exclaimed  he,  "  I  should  like  to  hear  Frank  Gran 
ger  spin  us  another  yarn  about  his  courting  scrapes.  What 
do  you  say,  lads  ?  " 

"  A  good  idea,"  said  Tim  Gibson.  "  Come,  Frank,  no  back 
ing  astern,  open  your  ports  and  blaze  away.  I  should  like  to 
know  whether  you  ever  fell  in  with  another  Hannah  Harts 
horn  in  the  course  of  your  travels." 

"  Not  exactly,"  replied  Frank ;  "  but,  as  I  gently  insinuated 
before,  although  Hannah  was  my  first,  she  was  not  my  last 
love.  I  assure  you  I  have  had  some  experience  in  the  ways 
of  womankind.  But,  somehow  or  other,  they  always  manage 
to  get  the  weather-gage  of  me,  and  it  is  not  long  since  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  man  who  has  least  to  do  with  them 
is  best  off." 

"  I  don't  believe  that  doctrine,"  abruptly  exclaimed  old  Ben 
Biddle.  "  On  the  contrary,  I  firmly  believe  that  if  every 
man  on  board  the  True  Blue  had  been  married  to  a  good,  in 
dustrious,  well-behaved  girl,  before  he  was  three-and-twenty, 
he  would  have  been  far  better  off  than  he  is  at  present." 
•  "  Why  did  you  not  get  married,  then,  long  ago  ?  "  inquired 
Jack  Dale,  with  a  grin. 

"  Because  I  was  a  fool !  "  exclaimed  the  old  man.  "  If  I 
had  to  live  my  life  over  again,  I  would  be  married  before  I 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one." 

"  That  is,  if  you  could  find  some  one  to  have  you,"  added 
Frank,  "Hey,  old  fellow?" 

"  To  be  sure ;  but  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  that," 
muttered  Ben. 

"  Come,  come  !  "  shouted  Tim  ;  "  belay  all  that.  If  Frank 
is  going  to  get  a  yarn  on  stretch,  there  is  no  time  to  lose." 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN          253 

"  Well,  shipmates,"  said  Frank,  "  if  you  say  so,  you  shall 
have  it,  with  all  my  heart ;  and  I  hope  that  my  experience  in 
a  kind  of  navigation  full  of  shoals  and  quicksands,  where  there 
are  neither  charts  nor  compasses,  may  act  as  a  warning  to  the 
youngsters. 

"Well,  I  told  you,  shipmates,  the  other  night,  that,  after 
Hannah  Hartshorn  had  treated  me  so  coldly  and  inhospitably, 
making  me  the  laughing-stock  of  all  the  young  folks  in  Cran 
berry  Village,  I  left  the  home  of  my  fathers,  and  went  to  sea. 
I  liked  the  business,  and  was  successful  in  my  voyages  ;  and, 
being  rather  a  sober  and  industrious  lad,  saved  a  goodly  por 
tion  of  my  wages,  and  made  something  handsome  by  my 
*  ventures,'  which,  in  other  days,  sailors  were  allowed  to 
carry  free  of  freight.  In  the  course  of  five  years  I  became 
quite  a  different  being  from  the  youth  who  sneaked  away  one 
morning  from  his  house  because  he  had  been  played  a  scurvy 
trick  by  the  girl  he  wished  to  wed ;  and  few  persons,  in  the 
sun-burnt,  smart-looking,  dashing  sailor,  neatly  arrayed  in  a 
'jacket  of  blue,'  would  have  recognized  the  bashful,  awkward, 
gawky,  green-looking  chap,  who  got  so  thoroughly  soused  at 
Major  Hartshorn's,  a  few  years  before. 

"  While  on  tije  broad  deep,  in  the  night  watches,  or  ex 
hausted  by  the  heat  in  a  tropical  climate,  I  often  thought  of 
the  home  of  my  youth,  and  longed  to  visit  it ;  but,  although 
not  naturally  of  a  timid  disposition,  as  you  all  know,  I  was 
afraid  to  encounter  ridicule.  At  length,  at  the  expiration  of 
five  years,  I  mustered  courage,  and  resolved  to  indulge  my 
inclination  and  return  home,  embrace  my  revered  parents,  if 
they  were  still  living,  and  renew  my  acquaintance  with  the 
worthy  inhabitants  of  Cranberry  Village. 

"  I  found  that  my  father  had  been  dead  two  years,  but  my 

mother  was  in  good  health,  and  overjoyed  to  see  me.     She 

hoped  that  I  had  got  enough  of  the  sea,  and  had  returned  to 

assist  and  cheer  her  during  her  remaining  years.     But  I  soon 

22 


254  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

undeceived  her  on  that  point.  I  preferred  the  wild,  eventful 
life  of  a  sailor  to  the  humdrum  occupation  of  a  farmer,  and 
had  made  arrangements  to  proceed  on  another  voyage  in  the 
course  of  six  or  eight  weeks.  But,  in  the  mean  time,  being 
an  idler,  in  everybody's  mess  and  nobody's  watch,  I  deter 
mined  to  enjoy  myself  among  the  gay  lads  and  rosy-cheeked 
lasses  of  the  village,  more  especially  as  I  found  that  my  old 
flame,  Hannah  Hartshorn,  had  been  married  for  three  years 
and  six  months,  to  a  smart  young  fellow,  who  carried  on  the 
two-fold  business  of  country  trader  and  horse  jockey,  in  a 
town  about  ten  miles  off.  But  I  could  have  told  him,  what  I 
heard  he  had  already  found  to  his  cost,  that,  smart  as  he  was, 
he  had  met  with  his  match  in  Hannah. 

"Being  well-spiced  with  impudence,  and  a  good-looking 
fellow  into  the  bargain  (remember,  shipmates,  this  was  twenty 
years  ago),  and  wearing  a  sailor's  dandy  costume,  which  has 
always  seemed  charming  in  the  eyes  of  the  fair,  I  soon  became 
a  favorite  with  the  girls  in  the  neighborhood.  I  found,  also, 
that  in  the  noble  exercise  of  '  wrestling  at  arms'  length,'  and 
in  performing  the  evolutions  of  the  'double-shuffle,'  not  a  youth 
in  the  whole  village  could  compete  with  me ;  and  these  are 
qualities  which,  if  a  lad  wishes  to  gain  the  good  opinion  of  the 
girls  should  not  be  hid  in  a  bushel.  I  found,  too,  that  I  could 
talk  to  some  purpose ;  and  my  adventures  at  sea,  —  the  many 
perilous  scenes  I  had  witnessed, — formed  inexhaustible  subjects 
of  intense  interest ;  and  I  was  always  a  welcome  guest  at 
raisings,  huskings  and  quiltings ;  and  glorious  frolics  we  some 
times  had  on  those  occasions,  I  assure  you. 

"  While  sunning  myself  in  the  smiles  of  these  fair  ones,  I 
forgot  the  trick  which  the  major's  pretty  daughter  played  me, 
and  began  to  entertain  not  only  an  exalted  opinion  of  the  fair 
sex,  but  a  profound  respect  and  veneration  for  the  married 
state.  I  could  not  help  thinking  what  a  pleasant  thing  it 
would  be  to  be  welcomed  to  my  own  home,  after  an  absence 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN.         255 

of  six  months  or  a  year,  by  a  bright-eyed,  angelic  being,  all 
smiles  and  sunshine. 

"  While  I  was  in  this  mood,  anxious,  yet  afraid,  to  take  a 
desperate  plunge  over  head  and  ears  in  the  sea  of  matrimony, 
I  met  Nabby  Brown  at  a  husking  frolic,  and  all  doubts  and 
fears  vanished  like  a  Cape  Sable  frog  at  the  rising  of  the  full 
moon.  I  resolved  forthwith  to  take  the  plunge,  if  I  could 
prevail  on  Nabby  to  be  my  partner  in  such  an  enterprise. 

"Nabby  Brown  was  the  daughter  of  Colonel  Napthali 
Brown,  of  Pekoket,  a  little  town  adjoining  my  native  hamlet. 
She  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  the  very  blush  of 
womanhood,  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  creatures  that  I 
ever  beheld.  She  was  not  one  of  your  milk-and-water  dam 
sels,  with  skilligalee  complexions,  and  a  frame  like  a  lath, 
whom  you  meet  with  so  often  in  large  cities,  but  a  ruddy- 
cheeked,  subsiayitial  maiden,  of  the  real  Yankee  model ;  —  one 
who  could  walk  abroad  in  the  winter  season  without  fear  of 
being  caught  up  and  borne  off  by  a  fierce  north-wester.  And 
her  eye !  it  was  of  a  dark  blue,  but  roguish,  and  calculated 
to  do  mischief.  It  was  an  eye  that  could  talk,  and  talk  well, 
too,  and  express  her  feelings  with  more  point  and  truth  than 
her  tongue ;  it  was  one  of  that  sort  of  eyes,  a  kind  of  glance 
from  which,  lulls  reason  to  sleep,  and  always  captivates  the 
heart  of  the  poor  sailor.  It  was  truly  an  intoxicating  eye. 

"  In  a  word,  shipmate,  Nabby  was  such  a  girl  as  the  eye 
of  a  true  sailor  delights  to  rest  upon;  she  was  a  fine  specimen 
of  female  architecture,  elegantly  moulded  in  every  part,  and 
rigged  throughout  with  neatness  and  taste,  apparently  built 
for  use  as  well  as  for  show,  and,  like  an  old-fashioned  Yankee 
sloop-of-war,  being  rather  full  in  the  bows,  with  a  handsome 
swell  of  the  counter,  could  hardly  be  regarded  as  a  clipper.  I 
then  thought  it  would  seem  a  shame  for  such  a  vessel  to  pro 
ceed  any  distance  on  the  voyage  of  life,  without  being  well 


256 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


manned  ;  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  Nabby  was  of  the 
same  opinion. 

"  Well,  that  night  at  the  husking  party,  it  was  my  good  or 
ill  fortune  to  be  placed  alongside  of  the  rustic  beauty,  and  a 
capital  time  I  had,  I  assure  you,  for  Nabby  did  not  object  to 
a  good-humored  joke,  and  liked  a  frolic  and  a  hearty  laugh, 
as  well  as  myself.  We  had  lively  times  that  evening,  I 
assure  you,  and  whenever  I  met  with  'a  red  ear,  I  claimed 
the  privilege  of  kissing  the  prettiest  girl  present,  and  selected 
Nabby,  of  course ;  and  there  was  no  little  screaming,  and 
struggling,  and  laughing,  and  scolding,  among  the  huskers  on 
Simon  Watkins's  barn  floor,  that  night.  Long  before  the  busi 
ness  of  husking  was  finished,  I  had  resolved  to  make  a  prize 
of  the  snug  little  frigate  alongside,  throw  my  grappling-irons 
on  board,  man  her  without  delay,  and  sail  in  company  with 
her  through  life. 

"  When  the  party  broke  up,  and  I  was  preparing  to  escort 
my  charmer  to  her  home,  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  off,  I 
was  a  little  surprised  to  see  Harry  Simpkins,  a  weazel-faced, 
sour-looking  chap,  whose  face  had  not  been  lit  up  with  a  smile 
for  the  whole  evening,  come  up,  and,  after  giving  me  an  angry 
glance,  offer  his  arm  to  Nabby,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  of  course. 
Indignant  at  his  impudence,  before  she  had  time  to  accept  it 
or  reject  it,  I  gently  pushed  him  aside,  placed  the  arm  of  the 
confused  but  laughing  girl  within  mine,  arid,  indicating  by  my 
clenched  fist  and  other  movements  that  I  was  not  to  be  tri 
fled  with,  marched  off  in  triumph,  with  Nabby  in  tow,  to  the 
great  astonishment  and  dismay  of  my  unworthy  rival,  whose 
presumption  in  aspiring  to  the  affections  of  Nabby  Brown, 
I  could  hardly  refrain  from  chastising,  as  it  deserved,  on  the 
spot. 

"  I  have  already  said  that  the  distance  to  Colonel  Brown's 
was  only  three  quarters  of  a  mile ;  the  road  was  level,  and 
by  no  means  difficult  to  find,  even  in  the  night,  but  somehow 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN.         257 

it  happened  that  more  than  two  hours  passed  away  before  we 
reached  the  threshold  of  the  colonel's  door  !  What  passed  in 
the  course  of  that  time  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  tell ;  my 
brain.-  were  in  such  a  whirl  of  excitement,  that  I  hardly  knew 
whether  I  stood  on  my  heels  or  on  my  head.  I  only  remem 
ber  that  I  approached  Nabby  in  a  style  altogether  different 
from  that  in  which  I  addressed  Sally  Hartshorn,  and  was  re 
ceived  in  a  different  manner,  which  was  a  natural  consequence. 
Ere  we  reached  the  colonel's  house,  with  all  the  frankness  and 
ardor  of  a  sailer,  I  had  offered  her  my  hand,  and  the  affec 
tions  of  an  honest  tar.  who  would  never  deceive  her.  The 
darkness  covered  her  blushes,  but  I  could  feel  her  frame 
tremble,  as  she  leaned  against  me  for  support.  At  length 
she  faltered  out  that  she  knew  nothing  against  my  character, 
but  she  was  very  young,  and  had  never  thought  of  being 
married  ! 

"  I  knew  better  than  that,  and  before  I  parted  with  her  at 
her  father's  door,  poor  Harry  Simpkins's  nose  was  out  of  joint, 
for  Nabby  had  given  me  all  the  encouragement  I  wished,  and 
more  than  I  could  have  expected  or  deserved,  on  so  short  an 
acquaintance.  I  called  to  see  her  the  next  day,  and  admired 
her  more  than  ever.  I -talked  with  her  father,  secured  his 
good  will,  and  rejoiced  in  my  good  fortune.  Being  determined 
to  '  strike  while  the  iron  was  hot,'  and  to  avoid  subjecting  my 
self  to  disappointment,  I  called  upon  Squire  Waddington,  the 
town  clerk,  to  request  his  good  offices  in  publishing  the  inten 
tions  of  marriage  between  Frank  Granger  and  Nabby  Brown, 
according  to  the  good  custom  then  prevailing  in  New  England. 

"  Squire  Waddington  was  a  stiff,  sedate-looking  man,  aboui 
forty-five  years  of  age.  His  wife  had  died  about  six  or  eigh; 
months  before,  and  he  had  grieved  deeply  and  unceasingly  for 
her  death.  And  what  made  the  matter  worse  for  him,  she 
had  left  four  or  five  young  children,  who  required  the  care 
and  attention  of  a  mother.  When  I  told  him  the  object  of 
22* 


258  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

my  visit,  he  started,  and  I  thought  seemed  surprised  and  not 
altogether  pleased.  He  looked  at  me  earnestly  for  a  moment, 
before  he  replied. 

"  '  Certainly,  Mr.  Granger,  I  will  publish  you  next  Sabbath, 
if  you  wish.  But  marriage  is  an  important  ceremony ;  it  is 
one  of  those  knots  which  even  a  sailor  cannot  untie.  I  hope 
you  considered  the  matter  well,  before  you  formed  your  deter 
mination.' 

"  '  To  be  sure  I  have,'  I  replied,  in  a  firm  voice. 

"  '  Frank,'  resumed  the  squire,  in  a  kind,  but  solemn  and 
fatherly  tone,  '  I  was  a  friend  of  your  worthy  father,  and 
should  be  happy  to  render  any  service  to  his  son,  and  I  must 
frankly  tell  you  that  I  am  sorry  you  have  proceeded  so  far 
in  this  matter,  without  consulting  your  friends,  and  would 
advise  you  to  break  off  the  match  without  delay.' 

"  '  Break  off  the  match  ?  '  I  exclaimed  ;  '  wheugh  !  Why, 
what  do  you  mean,  squire  ?  Why  should  I  break  off  my 
match  with  Nabby  Brown  ? ' 

" '  Why,'  replied  the  squire,  in  a  low  and  gentle  tone,  '  I 
know  that  girl,  Frank,  better  than  you  do.  She  is  not  calcu 
lated  to  make  you  a  good  wife.  She  likes  too  well  to  frolic 
with  the  beaux ;  and,  young  as  she  is,  and  demure  as  she 
sometimes  appears,  she  has  been  the  town  talk  for  these 
two  years.  You  surely  must  have  heard  the  stories 'about 
her  ? '  added  he,  in  a  sort  of  half  laugh,  which  I  did  n't  at 
all  like. 

" '  Stories  about  Nabby  Brown  !  no.  I  never  heard  anything 
about  her  which  was  not  much  to  her  credit.' 

"  '  Indeed  ! '  cried  the  squire,  rolling  up  the  white  of  his 
eyes.  '  How  charitable  this  world  has  become  !  but  I  should 
have  thought  that  some  kind  friend  would  have  cautioned  you, 
when  they  saw  the  danger  you  were  in,  and  not  have  left  to 
me  the  unthankful  task  of  telling  you  the  truth  ;  but  I  never 
shrink  from  my  duty.' 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN.         259 

"  The  squire  went  on,  and  after  pledging  me  to  secrecy,  told 
me  some  astounding  circumstances,  which  convinced  me  that  I 
had  been  altogether  too  hasty  in  forming  a  resolution  to  unite 
my  fortunes  with  those  of  Xabby  Brown,  and  that  the  sooner 
I  broke  off  the  match,  the  better  for  my  happiness.  I  felt 
mortified  and  indignant  at  having  been  so  neatly  taken  in  by 
a  happy  disposition,  a  pretty  face,  and  a  roguish  eye,  and  de 
clared  my  intention  of  taking  '  French  leave  '  of  my  charmer, 
and  going  off  to  sea  ! 

"  '  The  ver}T  best  thing  you  can  do,'  exclaimed  the  squire  ; 
and  I  thought  I  saw  a  glance  of  satisfaction  shoot  across  his 
rigid  features.  '  And,  if  I  were  you,  I  would  not  be  in  a  hurry 
to  return,  for  you  may  not  find  it  altogether  pleasant  to  be 
laughed  at.' 

"  '  I  know  that  from  experience,'  I  replied.  '  I  will  go  right 
home,  pack  up  my  duds,  and  be  off  to-morrow  morning  in  the 
stage  for  Boston.  But  I  will  see  Xabby  first,  and  tell  her  a 
piece  of  my  mind.' 

"  '  Poh,  nonsense  ! '  exclaimed  the  squire.  *  The  less  you 
have  to  say  to  her  the  better.  She  is  an  artful  girl,  and,  with 
her  musical  voice  and  bewitching  smile,  and  languishing  glances, 
would  make  a  wiser  man  than  you  believe  the  moon  's  made 
of  greea  cheese.  Avoid  an  interview  with  her  by  all  means. 
But,  as  I  am  a  friend  of  the  family,  if  you  wish  it,  I  will  call 
there  to-morrow  afternoon,  and  explain  matters  to  her  and  to 
her  father,  in  such  a  way  that  no  blame  whatever  will  rest 
upon  you.' 

"  '  The  very  thing,'  said  I.  *  An  interview  with  her  would 
l»o  rnther  awkward  for  both  of  us  now;  and,  although  I  am 
r.ot  afraid  of  her  arts  and  blandishments,  after  what  you  have 
told  me,  it  had  better  perhaps  be  avoided.  But,'  added  I, 
with  a  sigh,  '  who  would  have  thought  that  Xabby  Brown,  of 
all  girls  in  the  world,  with  such  excellent  parents,  and  at  so 


ii  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

early  an  age,  would  have  shown  symptoms  of  being  deficient 
in  propriety  and  principle  ?  ' 

"  My  course  was  determined.  I  went  right  home,  ac 
quainted  my  mother  with  my  resolution,  and  the  next  morn 
ing  at  eight  o'clock  was  some  nine  or  ten  miles  on  my  road 
towards  Boston-;  and  although  I  felt  rejoiced  at  my  escape, 
I  was  disappointed  and  low-spirited  during  the  whole  journey. 
But  I  quickly  got  a  berth  in  a  good  brig,  bound  on  a  voyage 
up  '  the  Straits,'  and  the  sight  of  the  blue  sea,  and  the  excit 
ing  scenes  on  shipboard,  soon  drove  all  annoying  thoughts 
from  my  mind ;  for  you  know,  lads,  I  never  was  in  the  habit 
of  dwelling  long  on  past  evils,  or  indulging  in  unpleasant  an 
ticipations.  So  far  from  sighing  at  the  recollection  of  '  The 
girl  I  left  behind  me,'  I  chuckled  at  the  idea  of  having  slipped 
my  head  out  of  the  running  bowline  of  matrimony  just  in  the 
nick  of  time. 

"  Well,  we  proceeded  on  the  voyage ;  touched  at  Gibraltar, 
got  dismasted  in  a  '  Levanter,'  and  were  towed  into  Palermo 
in  distress.  After  being  detained  for  repairs,  we  put  back 
for  Marseilles,  and  took  a  cargo  for  Cape  Henry,  in  St. 
Domingo,  where  we  arrived  in  safety  after  a  long  and  tedi 
ous  passage.  A  few  days  after  our  arrival  at  the  Cape,  I 
went  on  board  a  brig,  which  had  lately  left  Boston,  to  learn 
the  news ;  and  one  of  the  seamen  loaned  me  a  bundle  of 
newspapers,  which  he  had  brought  from  home.  I  eagerly 
seized  the  first  chance  to  look  them  over.  Among  them 
were  several  country  papers  ;  and  I  caught  up  the  Na 
tional  -<33gis,  a  paper  published  in  the  '  heart  of  the  Com 
monwealth.'  I  naturally  turned  to  the  column  of  deaths  and 
marriages ;  and  there  was  a  list  long  as  my  arm.  But  you 
may  judge  of  my  astonishment,  shipmates,  when,  in  the  list 
of  marriages,  the  very  first  record  which  caught  my  eye,  was 
this : 

"  '  On  Sunday  evening  last,  by  Rev.   Asahel  Wetherby, 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN.          ZOi 

Abraham  Waddington,  Esq.,  of  Cranberry  Village,  to  Miss 
Abigail  Brown,  eldest  daughter  of  Major  Napthali  Brown  of 
Pekoket.' 

"  It  then  came  across  me  like  a  thunder-clap,  that  I  had 
been  bamboozled ;  that  all  the  stories  told  me  by  the  squire 
about  Nabby  were  rascally  lies,  cunningly  devised  ;  and  that 
the  object  of  the  plausible  scoundrel  was  to  make  me  break 
off  the  match  with  the  girl  of  my  choice,  and  get  me  out  of 
the  way,  that  he  might  step  forward  and  marry  the  roguish- 
eyed  damsel  himself. 

"  I  lamented  my  folly  in  suffering  myself  to  be  so  easily 
deceived  by  a  sly,  palavering  scoundrel,  and  persuaded  to 
abandon  a  well-built,  sound,  beautiful  craft,  when  in  sight  of 
port.  I  raved  like  a  madman,  and  might,  for  aught  I  know, 
have  committed  some  fatal  extravagance,  if  I  had  not  found 
consolation  in  a  secret  determination  to  return  home  without 
unnecessary  delay,  and  wreak  my  vengeance  on  Squire  Wad- 
diugton,  in  the  shape  of  a  terrible  threshing.  I  was,  there 
fore,  rejoiced  when  I  learned  that  the  captain  had  engaged  a 
freight  to  New  York,  whither  we  arrived  in  good  time. 

"  As  soon  as  I  was  paid  off,  I  started  for  Boston,  and, 
without  delay,  took'  the  stage  for  Worcester,  on  my  way  to 
Cranberry  Village.  It  was  a  pleasant  evening  in  the  month 
of  M  ay,  when  the  stage  stopped  at  the  Gull  Tavern  in  my 
native  town.  I  sprung  out,  inquired  of  the  hostler  if  Squire 
Waddington  lived  at  the  old  place  near  Green  Meadow,  and, 
being  told  that  he  did,  I  took  my  way,  at  a  rapid  pace, 
towards  his  dwelling,  for  I  had  accounts  to  settle  with  him, 
and  I  knew  that  the  sooner  a  person  gets  such  reckonings  off 
his  hands,  the  better  for  all  parties. 

"  I  reached  the  dwelling  of  Squire  Waddington  about  half- 
past  eight  o'clock.  I  knocked  at  the  door  in  a  state  of  con 
siderable  excitement,  without  having  yet  formed  any  definite 
plan  of  operations,  resolving  to  be  guided  by  circumstances 


262  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

No  one  came  to  the  door,  and  I  knocked  again  louder  than 
before,  but  without  success.  I  thought,  however,  that  I  heard 
the  sound  of  voices  in  the  back  apartments,  and,  finding  that  I 
could  not  gain  an  entrance  in  front,  I  walked  round  to  the 
-'back  door,  which  opened  upon  the  kitchen.  As  I  turned 
the  corner  of  the  house,  the  voices  fell  on  my  ears  thicker  and 
faster ;  and  I  found  that  a  domestic  squall,  of  a  furious  char 
acter,  was  then  raging  in  the  house. 

"  A  female  voice,  in  a  shrill  but  exalted  tone,  exclaimed, 
*  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  old  Waddington,  I  will  submit  to  this, 
conduct  no  longer.  You  have  treated  me  shamefully.  You 
took  advantage  of  my  youth  and  my  ignorance,  and  deceived 
me.  You  persuaded  me  to  marry  you,  — you,  — a  man  old 
enough  to  be  my  father.  And  all  the  thanks  I  get  is  abusive 
language  and  ill  treatment ;  but  I  will  not  submit  to  it.' 

"  '  All  I  can  tell  you,  madam,'  replied  the  squire,  '  is  that 
you  will  have  to  submit  to  it  so  long  as  you  persist  in  neg 
lecting  your  duties  •  as  a  loving  and  faithful  wife,  and  choose 
to  honor  me  with  degrading  epithets,  and  accuse  me  of  hav 
ing  spoiled  your  market  with  better  men  than  myself.' 

"  '  You  know  it 's  all  true,'  replied  the  enraged  Nabby. 
'  You  drove  off  Frank  Granger,  by  telling  him  a  pack  of  lies 
about  me.  You  can't  deny  it ;  you  can't.  0,  you  are  a  sweet 
youth  —  you  are  !  And  then,  when  Harry  tSimpkins  came 
to  see  me,  in  order  to  revive  our  acquaintance,  you  threat 
ened  to  horsewhip  him  if  he  came  again  ;  he  told  me  so  him 
self  last  week.  0,  I  wish  I  had  been  at  Joppa  among  the 
Turks,  before  I  married  you  ! ' 

"  '  I  wish,  with  all  my  heart,  you  had,  madam,  for  you 
make  my  home  miserable.  I  wish  that  Frank  Granger  had 
married  you.  He  would  have  been  soon  sick  of  his  bargain ;  but 
he  could  have  gone  off  to  sea,  when  he  found  you  out.  As 
for  poor  Harry  Simpkins,  you  would  have  scolded  him  to 
death  in  three  months.  But  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  I  will  be 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN.         l!Go 

master  in  my  own  house,  and,  while  you  stay  here,  you  shall 
treat  me  with  deference  and  respect  as  your  lord  and  master.' 

"  '  You,  my  lord  and  master  !  '  screamed  Nabby ;  'you  piti 
ful  blockhead  !  Two  words  to  that  bargain  !  You  will  soon 
find  whom  you  have  to  deal  with ;  and  I  beg  you  to  remember 
that  I  am  mistress  in  this  house,  and  mean  to  be  MASTER  too ; 
and  I  beg  you  will  govern  yourself  accordingly.' 

"  'Ha!  ha  !  ha  !  '  was  the  contemptuous  reply  of  the  un 
fortunate  squire.  But  his  mirth  was  soon  changed  to  wail 
ing,  for  Xabby,  who,  it  seems  was  a  real  Tartar,  after  all, 
seized  a  broomstick,  and  gave  him  a  rap  over  the  sconce, 
which  brought  tears  into  his  eyes  and  fierce  menaces  from 
his  lips.  He  grasped  the  broomstick  with  one  hand,  and  with 
the  other  gave  his  dear  wedded  wife,  to  whom  he  had  not  been 
married  four  months,  a  sound  box  on  the  ear ! 

"  I  could  stand  it  no  longer ;  and  the  man  who  can 
quietly  look  on  and  see  a  woman  ill-treated,  whether  she  is 
right  or  wrong,  must  be  a  contemptible  coward.  I  pushed 
open  the  door,  and  entered  the  apartment.  Xabby,  however, 
hardly  required  my  aid,  for,  when  I  entered,. she  had  seized 
her  liege  lord  by  the  hair,  and  he  was  alternately  screaming 
murder,  and  begging  for  mercy. 

"  '  You  cowardly  scoundrel  ! '  said  I,  '  would  you  strike  a 
woman  ?  '  and  I  gave  him  a  box  on  the  ear,  which  would  have 
felled  an  ox.  But  a  large  dog,  which  had  been  lying  quietly 
on  the  hearth,  an  idle  spectator  of  the  loving  contention 
between  the  master  and  mistress  of  the  house,  no  sooner  saw  a 
new  actor  enter  on  the  scene,  than  he  thought  it  tfcjie  to  inter 
fere,  and,  barking  furiously,  he  fiercely  attacked  me  behind, 
and,  as  his  teeth  were  decidedly  sharp,  made  me  feel  very 
uncomfortable.  At  the  same  time  Nabby  herself,  her  face 
flushed  with  passion,  her  hair  streaming  over  her  shoulders, 
and  a  most  unlovely  frown  on  her  brow,  rushed  at  me  with 
her  broomstick,  of  which  she  had  regained  possession,  exclaim- 


•2134 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


ing,  *  What  business  have  you  to  attack  my  husband,  you 
villain  ?     Take  that,  and  that,  and  off  with  you,  I  say  !     0, 


murder,  thieves,  robbers ! '  and,  at  very  brief  intervals,  the 
broomstick  descended  with  terrible  force  on  my  head  and 
shoulders. 

"  The  squire's  three  eldest  children,  awakened  by  the  out 
cry,  rushed  into  the  kitchen,  and  joined  in  the  chorus. 
Astonished  at  the  rude  reception  which  I  met  with  from  the 
gentle  Nabby,  I  was  undecided  what  to  do  ;  the  squire  him 
self  recovered  from  the  blow  I  had  given  him,  and,  seizing  a 
hoe-handle,  which  was  leaning  against  the  corner  of  the  room, 
rushed  upon  me,  denouncing  vengeance  against  the  man  who 
would  dare  to  interfere  between  husband  and  wife.  To  tell 


FRANK  GRANGER  AND  NABBY  BROWN.         265 

you  the  truth,  shipmates,  I  began  to  be  alarmed.  The  odds 
w,ere  too  great.  The  dog  still  kept  hanging  on  my  quarters, 
nnd  giving  me  painful  proofs  of  the  sharpness  of  his  teeth. 
Squire  Waddington  was  a  stout  man,  and,  with  a  good 
weapon,  and  a  good  will,  was  able  to  do  me  serious  injury  ; 
while,  to  crown  all,  his  infuriated  wife  kept  cracking  away  at 
my  head  with  her  broomstick,  raising  a  mousing  at  every 
blow,  and  firing  upon  me  vollies  of  epithets.  I  knew  there 
was  neither  honor  nor  advantage  to  be  gained  by  staying ; 
and,  since  I  had  witnessed  their  connubial  endearments,  I  no 
longer  felt  resentment  against  the  poor  squire  for  playing  me 
a  knavish  trick.  On  the  contrary,  I  felt  that  he  was  punished 
enough  hi  all  conscience,  and  was  rather  an  object  of  pity,  if 
not  of  thanks,  than  resentment.  I  therefore  backed  out  of 
the  scrape,  as  quickly  as  I  could.  I  was  followed  closely  by 
the  squire,  and  Xabby,  and  the  dog,  and  did  not  get  off  with 
out  considerable  damage  to  my  person  and  my  garments.  At 
length  I  succeeded  in  reaching  the  highway,  and  rattled  along 
the  road  at  a  furious  rate,  without  once  looking  back,  until  I 
found  myself  safely  lodged  in  the  bar-room  of  the  Gull  tavern ! 

"  I  did  not  tarry  long  in  Cranberry  Village  after  this  ad 
venture  ;  but  I  left  it  a  wiser  man  than  when  I  entered  it, 
having  learned,  during  my  short  stay,  that  beauty  and  grace 
in  a  maiden  do  not  always  imply  gentleness  and  amiability  in 
a  wife  ;  and  that  the  man  who  interferes  in  matrimonial  quar 
rels,  instead  of  thanks  from  either  party,  will  get  for  his  pains 
nothing  but  kicks  and  cuffs  from  both." 

But  the  string  of  Frank's  reflections  was  cut  short  in  a 
manner  not  altogether  of  the  most  agreeable  character. 
While  he  had  been  spinning  his  yarn,  the  wind  had  been  in 
creasing,  and  had  headed  off  the  ship  some  two  or  three 
points,  which  brought  her  nearly  in  the  trough  of  the  sea ;  the 
natural  consequence  of  this  was,  that,  while  they  were  listen 
ing  to  Frank  Granger's  story,  and  making  themselves  as  com- 
23 


266 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


fortable  as  possible  under  the  weather  bulwarks,  a  foam- 
crested  roller  came  down  from  the  weather  beam,  and,  after 
striking  heavily  against  the  ship's  side,  it  gracefully  raised 
above  the  gunwale  its  snow-white  head,  and,  without  further 
ceremony,  came  slap-dash  among  the  astonished  crew.  They 
were  thoroughly  drenched  with  sea-water,  and  washed  into 
the  lee  scuppers,  and  puffed  and  blowed  like  a  shoal  of  por 
poises,  before  they  could  recover  their  breaths,  or  ascertain 
their  latitude  and  longitude.  And  this  incident  rather  ab 
ruptly  cut  off  the  yarn  about  Frank  Granger  and  the  gentle 
Nabby  Brown. 


THE   CATAUARAff. 

"  She  stood  alone  upon  that  fragile  raft, 

Tossed  by  the  wares  of  ocean,  far  from  land  ; 

And,  with  her  splendid  garments  drenched  with  spray, 

Her  golden  ornaments  and  jewels  rich, 

Her  hair  dishevelled,  streaming  in  the  wind, 

Her  visage  pale  as  marble,  and  her  eyes 

Coal  black,  and  sparkling  like  the  wild  gazelle, 

Seemed  the  reluctant  bride  of  some  sea-god  !  " 

OLD  PLAT. 


THE  perils  and  misfortunes  of  sailor?  form  a  more  prolific 
theme  for  conversation,  anecdote,  and  story,  than  their  good 
fortunes.  There  was  a  gloriousfcfcception  to  this  rule,  how 
ever,  in  the  case  of  my  old  shipmate,  Stephen  Cameron.  He 
never  met  with  difficulties  in  the  course  of  his  life,  but  was 
always  the  recipient  of  fortune's  favors.  There  seemed  to  bo 


268  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

no  occasion  for  him  to  plan  and  concert  measures  for  his 
future  conduct.  Whether  he  was  reckless  or  prudent,  cau 
tious  or  daring,  the  result  was  ever  the  same,  and  most  happy, 
so  far  as  he  was  concerned.  He  was  a  fine  fellow,  a  noble- 
hearted  fellow,  and  a  good-looking  fellow,  too,  and,  no  doubt, 
deserved  all  the  good  fortune  that  fell  to  his  lot.  Such  men 
do  not  always  meet  with  their  deserts. 

Stephen  Cameron  was  the  son  of  poor  parents,  who  died 
when  he  was  eight  years  old,  and  left  him  a  destitute  orphan, 
thrown  upon  the  charities  of  what  is  often  called  a  cold- 
hearted,  unfeeling  world.  He  was  a  bright-eyed,  ruddy- 
cheeked,  intelligent-looking  lad,  and  Mr.  Bellows,  a  worthy 
blacksmith,  who  lived  in  the  village,  and  was  a  friend  of  Mr. 
Cameron,  took  pity  on  his  destitute  offspring,  conveyed  him 
to  his  own  house,  and  treated  him  like  one  of  his  own  children, 
'intending  to  give  him  as  good  an  education  as  could  be  fur 
nished  by  the  district  schools  in  the  country,  instruct  him  in 
his  own  trade,  and  put  him  in  a  way  of  procuring  a  livelihood, 
and  becoming  a  useful  and  respectable  member  of  society. 

But  Stephen  early  evinced  repugnance  to  learning  the  trade 
of  a  blacksmith,  or,  indeed,  any  other  handicraft  employment. 
He  exhibited  a  taste  for  adventure,  was  anxious  to  visit 
foreign  countries,  and  avowed  a  determination  to  "  go  to  sea." 
At  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  left  the  house  of  his  friend  and 
guardian,  with  a  bundle  in  his  hand,  containing  all  his  chat 
tels,  and  while  his  bosom  beat  high  with  hope,  and  his  eyes 
sparkled  with  expectation,  he  commenced  his  journey  to  the 
nearest  seaport.  His  intelligent  face,  and  graceful  but  robust 
form,  served  as  a  letter  of  recommendation,  and,  without  much 
difficulty,  he  procured  a  situation  as  cabin-boy  on  board  a 
ship  bound  to  Europe. 

Stephen  thus  commenced  his  career  as  a  sailor,  and  met 
with  many  buffets  and  hardships  at  the  outset.  But  he 
always  made  friends,  —  this  was  owing  to  his  good  conduct 


THE    CATAMARAN.  269 

and  exemplary  character,  —  and  he  never  met  with  any  seri 
ous  misfortunes.  He  haJ  deliberately  selected  his  occupation, 
and  he  determined  to  press  forward  until  he  had  gained  the 
topmost  round  of  the  ladder ;  and,  stimulated  by  a  proper 
spirit  of  emulation,  it  is  not  remarkable  that  he  rapidly  passed 
through  the  different  grades  of  cabin-boy,  sailor,  second  mate, 
chief  mate,  and  became  master  of  a  fine  vessel,  the  ship  Cuue- 
gunda,  engaged  in  the  Brazilian  trade. 

Captain  Cameron  was  an  honor  to  human  nature  —  he 
was  as  brave,  generous,  noble-spirited  a  fellow  as  ever 
strapped  a  block,  or  worked  out  a  case  in  traverse  sailing. 
He  loved  his  profession,  he  loved  his  ship,  and  was  faithful 
to  his  employers,  who  congratulated  themselves  on  securing 
the  services  of  an  able  shipmaster  and  an  intelligent  merchant. 
Although  an  ardent  admirer  of  the  fair  sex  (was  there  ever  a 
true  sailor  who  was  not  ?),  and  fond  of  female  society,  which 
exercises  a  purifying  and  polishing  influence  on  the  character 
and  conduct  of  men,  he  was  resolved  to  retain  his  heart  in  his 
own  keeping,  until  fortune  should  so  far  smile  upon  his  under 
takings  as  to  enable  him  to  bid  farewell  to  the  ocean,  and, 
with  a  competence,  seek  happiness  in  the  bosom  of  domestic 
society.  Such  was  the  character  of  Stephen  Cameron,  when, 
in  the  good  ship  Cunegunda,  with  a  fine  breeze  from  the  north 
west,  he  rapidly  left  a  well-known  seaport  in  New  England, 
bound  on  a  voyage  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  in  the. Brazils. 

Nothing  material  oceurred  in  the  early  part  of  the  passage; 
but  Lieutenant  Maury's  route  had  not  then  been 
and,  as  the  ship  drew  towards  the  equator,  calms  mul 
southerly  winds  prevailed  to  a  degree  seldom  witnessed  even 
in  those  latitudes.  A  current,  meanwhile,  was  setting  strongly 
to  the  westward,  and  Captain  Cameron  had  the  unpleasant 
anticipation  of  being  back-strapped,  as  the  phrase  is,  that  is, 
forced  so  far  to  leeward  as  to  be  unable  to  weather  Cape  St. 
Roque»  in  which  case  he  would  have  to  proceed  back 
23* 


270  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

into  the  latitude  of  variable  winds,  and  then,  by  stretching  to 
the  eastward,  and  afterwards  hugging  the  "  trades,"  try  once 
more  to  reach  his  destined  port.  The  Cunegunda,  too,  was 
heavily  laden,  and  rather  a  dull  sailer,  and  our  youthful  skip 
per  passed  many  anxious  hours,  until  he  took  the  trade-wind 
strong  from  the  east-south-east,  and  saw  that  the  chances  were 
in  favor  of  his  weathering  Cape  St.  Roque.  He  did  weather 
the  cape,  but  had  nothing  to  spare,  and  had  to  make  several 
tacks  along  the  coast  before  he  could  hope  to  clear  the  Cape 
of  St.  Augustine. 

One  morning,  when  nearly  in  the  latitude  of  Pernambuco, 
while  the  Cunegunda  was  gliding  along,  close-hauled,  with  a 
fine  easterly  breeze,  Captain  Cameron  came  on  deck  about 
sunrise,  and,  while  the  watch  were  busy  scrubbing  and  wash 
ing  the  decks,  he  went  into  the  fore-topmast  cross-trees,  to 
take  a  look  around  the  horizon.  He  had  been  there  but  a 
few  minutes,  ere  he  espied,  in  shore,  apparently  standing  off 
from  the  land,  a  sail.  He  called  for  his  glass,  and  discovered 
the  sail  to  be  a  boat  of  small  size,  or  a  raft,  with  only  one 
piece  of  canvas  hoisted,  a  shoulder-of-mutton  sail.  The  craft 
appeared  to  be  steered  wildly,  and  he  was  much  puzzled  in 
endeavoring  to  conjecture  why  that  frail  vessel  was  navigat 
ing  that  rough  sea,  at  such  a  distance  from  the  land,  —  nearly 
thirty-five  miles,  —  and  running  from  the  land,  instead  of 
approaching  it  on  the  other  tack.  He  was  convinced  that 
some  extraordinary  occurrence  must  have  caused  this  singular 
proceeding.  • 

As  the  craft  drew  nearer,  Captain  Cameron  saw  that  it 
was  a  catamaran,  a  class  of  vessels  peculiar  to  South  Amer 
ica,  and  constructed  of  light  logs  of  a  species  of  the  palm- 
tree,  cut  in  lengths  of  fifteen  feet  or  more,  and  arranged  in 
the  form  of  a  raft.  These  kinds  of  skiffs  are  very  buoyant, 
sail  rapidly  with  a  free  wind,  and  are  much  used  by  the  fish 
ermen  on  the  coast  of  Brazil,  being  often  met  with  several 


THE    CATAMARAN.  271 

miles  from  the  land,  even  when  the  trade-wind  is  blowing 
fresh,  and  the  seas  are  sweeping  over  the  platform  of  the  raft. 
The  catamaran,  of  course,  from  its  peculiar  construction,  can 
not  capsize,  and,  although  a  wet,  is  a  safe  and  tolerably  com 
fortable  craft  in  moderate  weather ;  but  it  presents  a  singular 
appearance  when  seen  on  the  coast  for  the  first  time,  with 
its  rude-looking  navigators,  generally  half-naked  Indians  or 
negroes. 

As  the  distance  between  the  ship  and  the  catamaran  les 
sened,  Captain  Cameron  fancied  that  he  saw  one,  and  only 
one,  person  on  the  raft,  and  that  person  was  arrayed  in  a 
female  garb  !  His  curiosity  now  became  intense  ;  all  hands 
were  mustered  on  deck,  and  arrangements  were  made  to  board 
the  catamaran,  if  necessary,  and  thus  solve  the  mystery.  It 
was  not  long  before  the  figure  of  a  female  was  plainly  dis 
tinguished.  She  was  seated  on  a  chest,  or  a  box,  in  an  atti 
tude  of  helplessness,  and  seemed,  by  her  gestures,  to  be 
imploring  assistance.  She  was,  evidently,  unacquainted  with 
the  management  of  the  craft,  which  was  drifting  or  sailing 
about  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves.  The  ship  was  hove  to,  with 
the  main-topsail  to  the  mast,  then  a  boat  was  lowered  and 
manned,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  catamaran,  with  its  fair 
navigator,  was  alongside  the  Cunegunda. 

The  sight  which  was  there  exhibited  called  forth  all  the 
sympathy  of  the  young  and  humane  American  captain  and 
his  gallant  crew.  The  navigator  of  this  little  vessel  was  u 
girl,  not  more  than  eighteen  years  of  age,  but  of  extraordinary 
delicacy  of  frame,  and  lineaments  seldom  surpassed  in  sym 
metry  and  beauty.  Her  eyes  were  dark,  and  sparkled  like 
Golconda  gems ;  but  her  features  were  thin  and  deadly  pale, 
and  although  they  were  now  illumined  by  a  smile  of  joy,  yet  it 
was  plainly  seen  that  the  fair  adventurer  had  been  a  prey  to 
intense  physical  suffering. 

She  was  assisted  on  deck,  and  received  with  much  kindness 


272  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

and  warmth  by  the  gallant  captain,  who  was  able  to  converse 
with  her  in  the  Portuguese  language.  He  was  much  struck 
with  her  beauty,  her  youth,  and  the  singularity  of  her  cos 
tume.  Her  dress  was  thin  and  elegant,  better  calculated  for 
a  ball-room  than  to  withstand  the  rude  assaults  of  the  winds 
and  the  waves.  Around  her  neck  she  wore  a  necklace  of 
great  splendor,  and  her  taper  fingers  were  encircled  with 
jewelled  rings.  Her  garments  were  dripping  with  the  salt 
sea-spray,  and  her  hair,  glossy,  and  of  raven  blackness,  fell 
unconfined  on  her  shoulders,  giving  her  the  appearance  of  a 
sibyl  of  the  seas. 

Her  strength  failed  her  when  she  reached  the  deck  of  the 
Cunegunda,  and  she  exhibited  great  emotion  at  the  idea  of 
having  been  snatched,  as  it  were,  from  the  devouring  jaws  of 
death.  Captain  Cameron,  with  much  tenderness,  assisted  her 
into  the  cabin,  and,  suspecting  the  cause  of  her  weakness  and 
the  pallor  of  her  complexion,  lost  no  time  in  administering 
such  restoratives  as  he  knew  would  prove  beneficial  in  her 
case,  and  renovate  her  exhausted  faculties.  He  then  learned 
that  this  lovely  Portuguese  girl,  evidently  educated  in  the 
lap  of  luxury,  and  unaccustomed  to  even  the  trivial  ills  of 
life,  had  been  for  more  than  three  days  exposed  on  the  open 
sea,  and  during  that  time  had  tasted  neither  food  nor  water ! 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  Captain  Cameron's  attentions  to 
his  beauteous  passenger,  whom  he  had  so  unexpectedly  fallen 
in  with,  were  unremitting,  but  of  the  most  delicate  character. 
He  soon  ascertained  that  her  mind  was  cultivated  and  pure, 
sind  that  she  excelled  in  those  accomplishments  which  are 
always  regarded  as  an  ornament  to  the  sex.  In  a  few  day» 
her  strength  and  her  spirits  were  much  improved,  and,  although 
still  delicate  in  her  appearance,  and  fragile  in  her  form,  she 
no  longer  seemed  a  prey  to  suffering  or  disease ;  her  beauty 
was  more  resplendent  than  when  she  was  first  seen,  for  to  it 
were  added  the  attractive  charms  of  health. 


TIIE    CATAMARAN.  '2~O 

i 

When  we  consider  the  forlorn  condition  of  this  girl  when 
first  seen  by  Captain  Cameron,  and  the  extraordinary  power 
of  her  personal  charms-,  united  with  her  unprotected  situation 
and  the  necessity  there  was  that  he  should  regard  her  as  an 
object  requiring  the  greatest  kindness  and  attention  on  his 
part,  in  order  to  reconcile  her  to  her  strange  and  awkward 
situation  on  board  a  foreign  vessel,  among  strangers,  with  no 
companion  of  her  own  sex,  it  is,  perhaps,  not  very  extraordi 
nary  that  Stephen  Cameron  began  to  cherish  for  this  accom 
plished  beauty,  feelings  of  the  most  tender  description.  But 
lest  there  should  be  circumstances  which  might  render  a  union 
with  his  charming  passenger  impossible,  he  urged  her  to  tell 
him  the  cause  of  her  embarking  in  such  a  strange  garb,  on 
board  such  a  strange  vessel,  and  on  a  voyage  apparently 
without  object  or  aim. 

She  manifested  no  reluctance  to  relate  to  him  the  most 
important  incidents  of  her  history,  for  she  >  felt  grateful  to 
him  as  the  savior  of  her  life.  Cameron  learned  that 
her  name  was  Marie  de  Sandoval,  that  she  was  the  daughter 
of  a  Portuguese  merchant,  who,  during  ten  years,  had 
resided  in  Pernambuco,  and  acquired  great  wealth.  She 
was  an  only  child,  and,  two  years  before,  her  mother,  a 
lady  of  Lisbon,  had  fallen  a  victim  to  one  of  the  diseases 
peculiar  to  that  climate.  Revolutionary  troubles  had  broke* 
out  in  the  province  of  Pernambuco ;  a  jealousy  was  enter 
tained,  by  the  native  inhabitants,  of  the  Portuguese,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  superior  intelligence,  enterprise,  and,  conse 
quently,  riches,  of  those  who  were  born  and  educated  in 
Europe,  and  became  residents  of  Brazil  for  the  purpose  of 
improving  their  worldly  affairs,  and,  in  many  cases,  acquiring 
a  fortune.  Don  Pedro  de  Sandoval,  alarmed  at  the  disor 
derly  state  of  affairs,  and  the  turbulent  condition  of  the 
populace,  who  seemed  disposed  to  set  at  naught  the  civil 
regulations  of  the  province,  and  the  laws  of  God,  hastily  con- 


274  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

verted  his  property,  although  at  a  great  loss,  into  jewels  and 
specie,  intending  to  proceed  to  Lisbon  with  his  daughter 
Marie,  in  the  ship  Belem  Castle,  which  was  then  at  anchor  in 
the  outer  roads  of  Pernambuco. 

A  few  nights  before  the  ship  was  ready  to  sail,  a  desperate 
ruffian,  well  known  at  Olinda,  of  which  place  he  was  a  native, 
by  the  name  of  Pedro  the  Savage,  —  who  had  signalized 
himself  by  sanguinary  deeds  during  the  revolution,  and  who 
had  reason  to  fear  for  his  safety  during  the  temporary  rees- 
tablishment  of  law  and  order,  —  made  arrangements  to  escape 
to  Maranham  in  a  small  coasting-vessel ;  and  he  resolved  to 
take  with  him  the  property  of  Signor  de  Sandoval,  and,  also, 
his  beautiful  daughter,  Marie,  as  a  companion  of  his  voyage 
and  of  his  exile. 

He  found  no  difficulty  in  procuring  aid  to  carry  this  dia 
bolical  project  into  effect.  In  the  still  hour  of  midnight,  he 
headed  a  gang  of  ruffians,  and  broke  into  the  dwelling-house 
of  De  Sandoval,  who,  alarmed  at  the  attack,  sprung  from  his 
couch,  and  prepared  himself,  pistol  in  hand,  to  defend  his 
property  and  his  life.  His  daughter  was  in  her  apartment. 
She  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  some  friends,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  pleasing  but  solemn  occupation  of  looking  over 
some  trinkets  and  papers  which  had  belonged  to  her  mother, 
and  which  she  had  preserved  with  religious  care.  On  hear 
ing  the  assault  and  the  violent  language  and  threats  of  the 
villains,  she  rushed,  terrified,  into  the  saloon,  attracted  by 
the  sound  of  her  father's  voice.  The  next  moment  he  fell 
backwards  into  her  arms,  shot  through  the  head  by  one  of  the 
murderous  ruffians. 

For  a  time  she  lost  all  sensation.  When  she  recovered  her 
senses,  she  found  herself  borne  along  towards  the  water-side 
by  two  of  the  villains  ;  but  the  boat,  belonging  to  the  coaster, 
which  Pedro  expected  to  find  waiting  his  pleasure  at  a  cer 
tain  wharf,  was  not  to  be  found.  He  stamped  and  foamed 


THE    CATAMARAN.  275 

with  rage,  being  anxious  to  get  off  before  the  alarm  should  be 
given  and  a  pursuit  take  place.  At  this  moment  he  spied  at 
hand  a  catamaran,  belonging  to  a  poor  fisherman,  who  was 
making  ready  for  an  excursion  into  the  offing  at  daylight, 
agreeably  to  his  usual  custom,  and  resolved  to  take  possession 
of  the  craft,  and  then  convey  his  prize  and  himself  on  board 
the  schooner  in  the  outer  roads.  The  trunk  containing  the 
specie  and  jewels  was  thrown  upon  the  catamaran,  and  has 
tily  but  securely  lashed  to  the  platform.  The  terrified  and 
trembling  Marie  was  next  dragged  on  board ;  the  sail  was 
hoisted,  the  raft  was  shoved  off,  and  thus  Pedro  the  Savage, 
accompanied  by  an  athletic  seaman,  who  had  aided  him  in 
the  robbery  and  abduction,  embarked  with  his  plunder  and 
his  prey. 

The  night  was  cloudy  and  very  dark ;  the  wind  blew  in 
squalls  from  the  eastward,  and  the  waves  dashed  angrily  on 
the  rugged  and  extensive  limestone  reef,  which  protects  the 
harbor  of  Pernambuco  from  the  rude  assaults  of  the  ocean. 
The  fate  of  Marie  seemed  a  terrible  one,  but  inevitable.  She 
could  hardly  hope  to  affect  by  her  pleadings  the  better  feel 
ings  of  the  ruffians,  and  induce  them  to  change  their  fiend-like 
designs,  and  restore  her  to  liberty  in  safety  and  in  honor. 
Nevertheless,  she  instinctively  strove  with  all  the  eloquence 
of  a  woman,  whose  life  and  honor  are  in  imminent  peril,  to 
touch  their  hearts,  and  elicit  some  expression  of  kindness  and 
humanity.  She  implored  them  in  the  most  earnest  and  impas 
sioned  manner  to  return ;  to  be  contented  with  the  booty  which 
they  had  secured,  and  land  her,  fatherless  and  moneyless,  on 
the  wharf. 

Pedro  indulged  in  a  discordant  laugh  at  the  idea  of  volun 
tarily  resigning  the  beautiful  Portuguese,  after  he  had  actu 
ally  got  her  safe  in  his  possession.  He  assured  her  that  if  she 
did  not  soon  become  resigned  to  her  fate,  and  enjoy  happiness, 
the  fault  would  be  hers  ;  and  he  even  insisted  on  kissing  her 


276  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

into  good  humor  !  But  his  companion,  a  reckless  and  unprin 
cipled  French  sailor,  was  not  destitute  of  the  feelings  of  hu 
manity.  The  eloquent  appeals  of  Marie,  and  the  screams  of 
the  terrified  maiden  when  the  savage  Pedro  proceeded  to  give 
her  the  proposed  marks  of  affection,  enlisted  his  sympathies  in 
her  behalf,  and  he  dared  to  remonstrate  with  his  superior  on 
the  folly  of  carrying  off  the  girl,  who  would  only  be  an  incum- 
brance,  and  might  lead  to  their  detection  and  punishment. 
Pedro,  indignant  at  this  symptom  of  insubordination,  to  which 
he  was  unused,  replied  in  a  haughty  and  insolent  tone,  which 
roused  the  choler  of  the  Frenchman.  Both  parties  became 
exasperated,  heaped  curses  on  each  other's  head,  and  finally 
grappled  with  each  other  in  a  mortal  struggle.  Pedro  drew 
his  glistening  blade  from  its  sheath,  and  passed  it  through  the 
bosom  of  his  companion  in  iniquity,  who  was  desirous  of  aton 
ing  by  one  good  act  for  many  deeds  of  guilt.  The  wounded 
man  uttered  a  loud  and  piercing  scream,  and,  with  a  con 
vulsive  exertion,  sprang  into  the  water,  dragging  with  him 
the  ruthless  and  blood-thirsty  Pedro  !  The  cataniaran  was 
moving  rapidly  through  the  water  at  the  time,  and  Marie 
saw  them  no  more.  They  doubtless  both  sank  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  sea ;  and  Marie  was  thus  left  alone  on  the 
catamaran ! 

Her  first  sensation,  after  she  recovered  from  the  scene  which 
had  just  been  enacted  in  her  presence,  was  that  of  gratification 
in  being  thus  rescued  from  a  dreadful  fate.  But  she  soon 
became  aware  that  the  raft  was  rapidly  proceeding  from  the 
land,  and,  as  she  drew  towards  the  outer  roads,  the  waves 
began  to  dash  over  her  little  vessel.  She  knew  not  the  art 
of  steering  or  navigating  a  boat,  and  soon  became  aware  that 
her  situation  was  perilous  in  the  extreme.  In  the  morning, 
when  the  sun  rose  above  the  horizon,  she  could  hardly  distin 
guish  the  coast  of  Brazil.  The  waves  were  all  around  her, 


THE    CATAMARAN.  277 

not  a  vessel  was  in  sight,  and  she  seemed  to  have  been  pre 
served  for  a  lingering  and  a  dreadful  death. 

In  a  short  time  she  lost  sight  of  the  land.  The  wind  soon 
afterwards  died  away;  but  a  calm,  while  it  lessened  the  pros 
pect  of  obtaining  aid  from  some  friendly  vessel,  brought  no 
comfort  to  her  soul.  Towards  night  the  wind  again  breezed 
up,  and  the  catamaran  was  driven  still  further  to  sea  and 
along  the  coast.  All  the  next  day  she  kept  on  the  watch, 
hoping  to  see  a  ship  steering  towards  her,  but  not  a  vessel 
appeared  in  sight.  The  third  day  also  passed  away  without 
bringing  any  succor.  Her  sufferings  from  hunger  and  thirst, 
and  exposure  to  the  weather,  were  indescribable ;  and  while 
in  that  state  of  weakness,  agony  and  despair,  it  is  strange  that 
she  was  able  to  retain  her  station  on  the  catamaran,  which 
was  gradually  gaining  off  shore,  being  on  a  wind,  with  the 
starboard  tack  on  board  ;  but,  on  the  fourth  day  of  her  cruise, 
her  heart  was  cheered  by  the  sight  of  a  vessel !  She  watched 
its  appearance  with  intense  eagerness,  until  she  saw  that  it 
was  rapidly  increasing  in  size,  a  sure  sign  that  it  was  steering 
in  the  direction  of  her  little  skiff.  Still  she  could  not  help 
entertaining  agonizing  apprehensions  that  the  ship  would  alter 
its  course,  or  that  the  persons  on  board  might  not  see  her,  and 
that  it  would  pass  on  its  way  without  rendering  her  any 
assistance.  No  one,  excepting  those  who  have  been  placed  in 
similar  unfortunate  situations,  can  conceive  of  the  mental  agi 
tation,  of  the  alternate  hopes  and  fears,  of  the  most  soul-thrill 
ing  description,  which  are  experienced  even  by  persons  of  vig 
orous  frame,  and  superior  courage  and .  resolution,  at  such  a 
time.  But  she  gave  herself  up  to  joy  when  she  saw  that  she 
had  attracted  the  attention  of  those  on  board  the  ship,  and  that 
she  would  certainly  be  rescued  from  her  distressing  situation. 
The  ship  proved  to  be  the  Cunegunda  ;  and  she  was  received 
by  Captain  Granger  with  the  greatest  kindness  and  hospital 
ity,  as  I  have  already  stated. 
24 


278  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

The  sequel  of  my  story  is  soon  told.  Gratitude  is  often 
akin  to  love  ;  and  Marie's  warm  heart  overflowed  with  grati 
tude  towards  the  man  who  had  been  the  instrument  of  Provi 
dence  in  rescuing  her  from  a  terrible  death,  and  she  soon 
learned  to  entertain  for  him  feelings  of  a  more  tender  kind, 
and  to  respond  to  the  ardent  attachment  which  he  felt  and 
avowed  for  the  black-eyed  daughter  of  Lusitania.  When  the 
ship  reached  the  capital  of  the  Brazils,  preparations  were 
made  for  the  performance  of  the  nuptial  rites ;  and  soon, 
before  the  altar,  the  vows  were  taken,  which  gave  Stephen 
Cameron  the  right,  and  made  it  his  duty,  to  protect  and  cher 
ish  through  life  the  bright  being  whom  he  met  with  on  the 
wide  seas,  in  a  manner  so  strange  and  unexpected. 

He  returned  to  New  England,  with  his  lovely  wife  and  her 
treasures,  and  bade  adieu  to  the  sea  forever.  Fortune  had 
smiled  upon  him,  and  happiness  still  sheds  an  influence  over 
his  domestic  circle.  Often,  when  Stephen  gazes  upon  the  cheer 
ful  countenance  of  his  affectionate  Marie,  his  thoughts  revert 
to  the  past,  and  he  thinks  upon  what  slender  threads  hang  the 
destinies  of  man,  and  feels  a  conviction  of  the  truth  that  a 
great  apparent  evil  will  frequently  evolve  circumstances  pro 
ductive  of  the  greatest  possible  good.  If  Stephen  had  not  fallen 
to  leeward,  during  protracted  calms  on  the  line,  when  bound 
to  Rio,  he  would  not  have  fallen  in  with  the  CATAMARAN,  with 
the  fair  Marie  on  board,  who,  like  a  benignant  genius,  strews 
his  pathway  thfough  life  with  flowers. 


A  THANKSGIVING   STORY. 

"  She  gazed  —  she  reddened  like  a  rose  — 

Syne  pale  as  ony  lily  ; 
She  rushed  into  his  arms,  and  cried, 

'  Art  thou  mine  ain  dear  Willie  *  '  "         BURNS. 

IT  was  a  bleak  day  in  the  month  of  November,  the  north 
wind  howled  mournfully  through  the  leafless  trees,  the  broken 
clouds  flitted  rapidly  across  the  face  of  the  heavens,  and  the 
whole  face  of  nature  assumed  an  aspect,  cheerless  and  uncom 
fortable,  well  calculated  to  remind  the  moralist  of  the  closing 
scenes  in  the  great  drama  of  life,  as  a  traveller,  with  weary 
steps,  wended  his  solitary  way  through  one  of  those  beautiful 
hamlets  which  abound  in  Xew  England,  and  which  constitute 
the  noble  ornaments,  emblems  of  freedom,  peace  and  happi 
ness,  of  which  she  is  justly  proud. 

To  judge  from  his  costume,  this  traveller  belonged  to  the 
humblest  ranks  of  life,  or  had  been  singled  out  as  a  victim  bj 
misfortune.  His  coarse  straw  hat,  his  patched  doublet,  and 
his  canvas  trousers,  soiled  by  tar  in  many  places,  while  they 
proclaimed  his  occupation  and  his  poverty,  seemed  but  poorly 
calculated  to  protect  him  from  the  inclemency  of  the  weather. 
His  form  was  cast  in  a  manly  mould,  denoting  great  activity 
and  strength.  His  features,  bronzed  by  exposure  to  the  trop 
ical  sun,  and  partly  concealed  from  view  by  his  luxuriant 
locks  cf  coal-black  hair,  showed  that  he  was  still  in  the  dawn 
of  manhood.  His  eyes  seemed  lighted  up  with  an  intelligent 
spirit,  by  a  gleam  of  expectation  and  hope,  which  showed  that 


280  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

his  humble  fortune,  did  not  accord  with  his  noble  nature; 
that,  however  severely  fate  had  dealt  with  him,  his  energies 
were  still  unbroken  ;  and  that  maugre  the  chill  northern  blast, 
and  the  fatigues  which  it  was  evident  he  had  recently  under 
gone,  he  was  resolved  to  push  onward  until  the  object  which 
he  had  in  view  was  accomplished. 

"  It  is  now  three  years,"  said  this  young  sailor  to  himself, 
as  he  plodded  along  the  road,  "  since  I  very  foolishly  left  my 
happy  home,  urged  by  a  silly  pique,  and  a  love  for  a  life  of 
adventure,  to  brave  the  hardships  and  perils  of  the  ocean. 
Since  then  my  life  has  been  a  series  of  misfortunes.  I  have 
met  with  storms  on  every  tack.  But,  thank  Providence, 
although  my  canvas  is  sadly  reduced  and  pretty  well  worn 
out,  and  my  pockets  destitute  of  ballast,  my  .hull  is  unim 
paired,  and  my  spirits  as  unbroken  and  buoyant  as  ever.  I 
hope  my  parents  are  still  living,  and  prosperous  and  happy. 
I  was  a  fool  to  leave  them.  And  my  brothers  and  sisters,  — 
how  happy  we  were  together  !  And  cousin  Mary,  that  bright 
little  sylph,  whom  I  loved  with  a  love  surpassing  that  of 
cousins,  and  in  whose  company  I  have  passed  so  many  rap 
turous  hours  !  0,  I  was  a  great  fool  to  leave  such  blissful 
scenes  !  And  I  believe,  after  all,  the  little  fairy  loved  me  ! 
I  know  she  did  ;  she  all  but  told  me  so  !  But  it  is  too  late 
now  to  retrace  my  steps,  I  can  only  regret  my  folly.  I  dar« 
say  the  bright  and  joyous  young  thing  has  forgotten  Ned 
Willis,  and  was  married  to  some  worthier  fellow  than  I  am 
long  ago.  Her  rosy  cheeks,  laughing  eyes,  and  sweet  disposi 
tion,  to  say  nothing  of  the  property  she  was  to  inherit,  at 
tracted  many  admirers,  and  made  sad  havoc  among  the  hearts 
of  the  youths  of  the  village.  Well,  if  she  is  married,  there  is 
no  more  to  be  said ;  I  have  no  right  to  complain.  I  hope  she 
has  chosen  a  good  husband.  I  will  see  her  once  once  more, 
wish  her  a  long  life  and  a  happy  one,  and  away  to  sea  again. 
But  if  she  is  not  married  — "  He  did  not  finish  the  sentence, 


A    THANKSGIVING    STORY.  281 

but  a  change  came  over  the  countenance  of  the  ill-clad  and 
weather-beaten  mariner,  as  if  he  were  indulging  in  a  vision  of 
rapture,  and  he  involuntarily  quickened  his  pace. 

As  Edward  Willis  journeyed  onwards  towards  his  home, 
anticipating  by  turns  happy  and  adverse  fortune,  he  was  sur 
prised  to  find  that,  although  it  was  in  the  middle  of  the  week, 
there  were  no  signs  of  labor  among  the  inhabitants.  All  was 
quiet ;  even  the  oxen  were  browsing  contentedly  in  the 
pastures,  the  school-houses  were  closed,  and  the  meeting 
houses  were  open  ;  the  people  whom  he  met  with  were  neatly 
arrayed  in  their  Sunday  clothes,  and  their  countenances  were 
wreathed  with  smiles  of  gratitude  and  joy.  On  inquiry,  he 
learned  that  it  was  THANKSGIVING  DAY.  He  hailed  the  infor 
mation  as  a  glad  omen. 

On  the  day  when  this  poor,  forlorn-looking  traveller,  after 
years  of  wandering,  was  pursuing  his  way  towards  his  native 
village,  the  fire  burned  brightly  on  the  hearth-stone  of  his 
parents.  Deacon  Willis  was  a  Neiv  England  farmer,  a  man 
who,  by  cherishing  the  virtues  of  industry  and  frugality,  had 
become  possessed  of  a  handsome  property,  and  who,  enjoying 
a  competence  in  a  free  country,  protected  by  a  wise  govern 
ment,  surrounded  by  kind  and  intelligent  neighbors,  and  at 
the  head  of  a  happy  and  virtuous  family,  envied  neither 
nabobs  their  riches,  nor  monarchs  their  power. 

It  was  Thanksgiving  day,  and  great  had  been  the  bustle  in 
Deacon  Willis's  family  for  the  previous  week.  Descended  in 
a  direct  line  from  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  England 
no  consideration  could  have  induced  the  worthy  deacon  t< 
ab.itc  one  jot  of  the  "pomp  and  pride  and  circumstance" 
of  the  Thanksgivings  of  the  Puritans.  Thanksgiving  wa 
religiously  observed  by  him,  as  it  had  been  by  his  father 
before  him,  and  the  gratitude  which  he  expressed  to  hLc- 
Creator  for  the  mercies  which  he  had  received,  was  not  a 
24* 


282  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

mere  formula  of  unmeaning  words,  but  came  directly  from 
the  heart. 

On  this  day  his  children  were  collected  around  him,  and 
all  anticipated  a  joyous  Thanksgiving,  Several  of  his  distant 
relations,  who  were  not  so  well  provided  with  the  good  things 
of  this  life  as  the  worthy  deacon,  also  accepted  an  invitation 
to  be  present.  Among  those  who  were  sheltered  by  his  hos 
pitable  roof  on  this  occasion,  the  greatest  favorite  seemed  to 
be  Mary  Wardsworth,  a  blue-eyed  damsel,  whose  lovely  and 
expressive  face  told  more  about  sweetness  and  purity  than  I 
could  describe  in  a  folio  volume.  She  was  the  only  daughter 
of  a  cousin  of  the  worthy  deacon's,  and  at  an  early  age  had 
been  deprived  of  her  parents  by  death.  But  Deacon  Willis 
had  been  to  her  a  parent,  his  house  had  beeii  to  her  a  home, 
his  wife  had  treated  her  with  a  mother's  kindness,  and  his 
children  regarded  her  as  a  sister  and  a  dear  friend. 

Mrs.  Willis's  situation  as  mistress  of  the  family  was  no 
sinecure  on  that  day.  Her  duties  were  various  and  impor 
tant,  for  it  was  the  New  England  Holiday,  and  all  her  skill 
as  a  housewife,  all  her  excellence  as  a  manager,  was  put  to 
the  test  on  Thanksgiving  day.  After  the  family  returned 
from  meeting,  —  for  they  were  of  the  good  old-fashioned  sort, 
who  would  almost  as  soon  lose  their  Thanksgiving  dinner  as 
be  deprived  of  their  Thanksgiving  sermon,  —  the  table  was 
set  in  the  large  front  parlor,  which  was  wont  to  be  used  only 
on  extraordinary  occasions,  and  preparations  for  the  festival 
commenced.  A  good  fire,  made  of  walnut  and  yellow  oak 
wood,  burned  cheerfully  in  the  large-  open  fire-place,  and  all 
the  females  belonging  to  the  house  were  put  in  requisition  to 
bear  the- abundance  of  the  good  things  from  the  kitchen  to 
the  parlor,  and  which,  when  deposited  in  their  respective 
places,  made  the  tables  groan  again. 

At  the  head  of  the  table  was  placed  a  portly  turkey,  the 
choicest  of  the  large  and  pampered  family ;  at  the  further  ex- 


A    THANKSGIVING    STORY.  283 

tremity  was  deposited  a  ham  of  a  size  and  flavor  to  make  a 
Westphalian  commit  suicide  through  envy  and  despair.  On 
the  centre  was  stationed,  plucked,  roasted,  and  ready  for  the 
carving-knife,  one  of  those  celebrated  animals  which  whilom 
saved  from  the  ravages  of  the  Gauls  the  capital  of  Rome  ; 
while  here  and  there,  scattered  in  rich  profusion  around  the 
table,  in  apparent  disorder,  but  with  deliberate  care  and  pre 
cision,  were  boiled  and  roasted  fowls,  chicken-pies,  jellies, 
knicknacks,  apple-sauce,  and  plates  of  vegetables  of  more 
varieties  and  excellence  than  I  would  willingly  undertake  to 
enumerate,  while  on  the  kitchen-table,  arranged  apparently  as 
a  corps  de  reserve,  might  be  seen  a  stately  plum-pudding,  sup 
ported  by  several  enormous  Thanksgiving  pumpkin  pies,  with 
mince  pies,  apple  pies,  squash  pies  and  custard  pies,  with 
fruits  of  various  kinds,  not  forgetting  nuts  and  apples,  to  bring 
up  the  rear.  As  a  beverage,  on  this  happy  occasion,  icater 
was  the  only  article  provided  —  water  brought  from  a  clear 
and  sparkling  spring,  which  bubbled  up  a  few  rods  from  the 
house  ;  for  farmer  AVillis  contended  that  water  was  the  best 
drink,  even  on  festive  occasions,  and  that  hilarity  and  joy 
should  be  promoted,  not  by  wine  or  strong  drink  of  any  kind, 
but  by  social  communion,  by  a  free  interchange  of  thoughts 
and  ideas,  by  generous  feelings,  born  and  nurtured  in  noble 
bosoms. 

It  was  nearly  two  o'clock,  long  after  their  accustomed 
hour  of  dinner,  before  the  assembled  company  were  invited 
into  the  parlor  to  partake  of  the  good  cheer  which  had  been 
so  bountifully  provided.  And,  as  the  happy  company  stood 
around  the  tables,  waiting  for  their  host  to  ask  the  Divine 
blessing  upon  the  meal  which  was  placed  before  them,  a  shade 
flitted  across  the  good  man's  brow,  for  his  eldest  son,  a  noble 
youth,  was  absent.  Among  the  joyful  faces  which  surrounded 
him,  Edward's  was  not  seen.  He  had  left  his  home,  yeari 
before,  to  embrace  a  seafaring  life,  and  the  wanderer  had 


284  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

not  returned.  There  was  reason  to  believe  that  he  was  no 
longer  in  the  land  of  the  living ;  and,  although  they  still 
strove  to  cherish  hope  in  each  other's  bosoms,  many  and 
bitter  were  the  tears  of  affection,  which  had  embalmed  his 
memory. 

Deacon  Willis  did  riot  intend  to  cast  a  damp  over  the 
spirits  of  the  happy  group,  and  his  words  were  but  the  echoes 
of  his  thoughts,  as  he  involuntarily  exclaimed,  "  Were  Edward 
here,  we  should,  indeed,  be  happy  !  " 

"  My  poor,  dear  boy  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Willis.  "  Ah  !  I 
much  fear  we  shall  never  see  his  smiling  face  again." 

Mary  Wardsworth  said  nothing,  but  a  tear  started  into  her 
eye,  and  any  casual  observer  would  have  seen  at  once  that 
Edward  Willis  was  dearer  to  her  than  a  cousin  or  a  friend ; 
and  that  she  cherished  his  memory  in  the  very  depths  of  her 
heart. 

Just  then  old  Bose,  the  house  dog,  was  heard  to  make  some 
angry  remonstrances  to  a  passing  traveller,  which  attracted 
attention,  inasmuch  as  it  was  by  no  means  an  ordinary  occur 
rence  ;  for  Bose  was  a  well-nurtured  brute,  and  seldom  ac 
costed  a  well-dressed^  gentlemanly  personage  in  a  rude  and 
angry  manner ;  but  he  entertained  the  prejudice  against  the 
victims  of  misfortune  or  intemperance,  wearing  the  garb  of 
poverty,  which  is  cherished  by  nobler  animals,  who  boast  the 
attributes  of  reason.  In  truth,  Bose,  although  a  faithful  dog, 
was  an  aristocrat  in  his  principles.  The  traveller,  from  his 
appearance,  moved  in  the  humblest  rank  in  life,  and  Bose  in 
tended  to  give  him  a  reception  corresponding  with  his  shabby 
appearance,  and  was  advancing  towards  him  in  a  surly  man- 
ner,  and  truculent  look,  when  Deacon  Willis,  who  well  knew 
the  peculiarities  of  his  dog,  told  his  son  James  to  go  out  and 
protect  the  stranger  from  violence.  "He  seems  a  sailor, 
too,"  said  he,  "  arid,  on  a  day  like  this,  we  should  not  refuse 
the  rites  of  hospitality  to  the  humblest  being  who  passes  along^ 


A    THANKSGIVING    STORY.  285 

the  road.  On  Thanksgiving  day,  no  individual,  rich  or  poor, 
sailor  or  landsman,  should  want  for  a  plentiful  nieal.  Ask 
him  in,  my  son,"  continued  the  noble-hearted  farmer,  "  and 
let  the  poor  wayfarer  take  a  seat  at  our  board." 

The  stranger  entered  the  parlor,  and  room  was  made  for 
him  at  the  table.  But  his  appearance  and  manner  were 
strange,  and  he  seemed  as  if  he  was  ill-disposed  to  requite  his 
kind  hosts  for  the  hospitality  he  enjoyed.  He  did  not  even 
raise  his  dilapidated  hat  from  his  head ;  and  to  the  kind  in 
quiries  which  were  made  of  him,  he  scarcely  deigned  any 
reply  ;  but,  as  if  overcome  with  fatigue,  or  agitated  by  con 
tending  emotions,  he  threw  himself  into  the  nearest  chair,  and 
covered  his  brow  with  his  hands. 

The  wondering  group  witnessed  his  conduct  in  silence. 
"  Come  now,  my  good  man,"  at  length  exclaimed  Mrs.  Willis, 
in  a  kind,-  motherly  tone ;  "  I  dare  say  you  are  tired  and 
hungry ;  take  a  seat  at  the  table,  and  make  yourself  at  home. 
We  like  sailors,  and  would  gladly  do  you  a  good  turn  for  the 
sake  of  one  who  has  long  been  absent.  Don't  cry,  Mary  ;  you 
should  learn  to  restrain  your  feelings." 

Just  then  old  Bose,  who,  when  the  sailor  first  came  in  sight, 
was  disposed  to  regard  him  as  an  enemy,  much  to  the  surprise 
of  the  children,  suddenly  conceived  the  most  lively  attach 
ment  to  the  "  poor  straggler."  He  wagged  his  tail  with  un 
wonted  energy,  absolutely  danced  around  him,  whined  forth 
his  joy  in  the  most  expressive  manner,  and  continued  the  pan 
tomime  by  jumping  into  his  lap,  and  attempting  to  lick  his 
face. 

The  stranger  hardly  attempted  to  repulse  the  affectionate 
animal,  but,  gently  patting  his  head,  addressed  him  him  with 
the  endearing  epithet  of  "  Poor  old  Bose  !  "  adding,  "  you 
have  not  forgotten  me." 

He  then  raised  his  head,  took  his  hand  from  his  forehead, 
removed  his  hat,  and  brushed  away  the  long  and  matted  locks 


286 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


which  partly  concealed  his  features.  His  voice  had  touched  a 
chord  in  the  bosoms  of  the  persons  present,  which  had  long 
ceased  to  vibrate.  The  eyes  of  Deacon  Willis  and  his  wife 
were  turned  upon  him  in  eager  expectation.  Mary  Wards- 
worth  started  ;  the  rose  on  her  cheek  gave  place  to  the  lily ; 
and  her  deep-seated  and  pure  love  proved  more  quick-sighted 
than  even  parental  affection.  She  gazed  upon  him  with  a 
look  in  which  joy  and  surprise  were  blended,  and  met  his 
glance,  which  beamed  with  tenderness  and  rapture,  expressing 
•the  fruition  of  earthly  enjoyment.  Her  maidenly  reserve 


was  conquered  by  her  surprise  and  joy  at  beholding  before  her 
a  dear  one  whom  she  had  long  mourned  as  forever  lost.     "  It 


A    THANKSGIVING    STORY.  287 

is  cousin  Edward  !  "  said  she,  and  she  threw  herself  into  his 
arms. 

The  scene  which  followed  may  be  imagined,  but  cannot  be 
described,  nor  shall  I  attempt  it.  There  was  no  longer  any 
alloy  in  the  enjoyment  of  that  happy  family ;  and  Deacon 
Willis,  albeit  always  noted  for  his  piety,  never  offered  up  a 
thanksgiving  prayer  with  greater  fervency  and  sincerity,  than 
on  that  occasion. 

After  dinner  was  over,  Edward  had  a  long  tale  to  tell,  to 
which  his  auditors  listened  with  breathless  attention,  of  the 
perils  and  sufferings  he  had  experienced  during  the  previous 
three  years.  The  vessel  in  which  he  had  sailed  for  South 
America  had  been  suspected  of  carrying  on  a  contraband 
trade,  and  the  crew  were  condemned  to  the  mines  for  life. 
Edward,  with  two  of  his  companions,  at  the  imminent  risk  of 
his  life,  succeeded  in  effecting  his  escape,  and  worked  his  pas 
sage  home  in  a  vessel  bound  to  Providence.  Misfortune  still 
pursued  him ;  the  vessel  was  wrecked  on  Block  Island  during 
a  heavy  gale,  and,  after  a  desperate  struggle  with  the  waves, 
he  succeeded  in  gaining  the  shore.  He  lost  no  time  in  pro 
ceeding  to  Providence  in  a  fishing  craft,  when  he  took  his 
land  tacks  on  board.  Weary,  hungry,  destitute  of  money  and 
clothes,  a  poor,  shipwrecked  sailor,  Edward  Willis  at  length 
reached  his  home. 

"  And  you  are  welcome,  my  boy  !  "  exclaimed  his  father  ; 
"  I  hope  you  will  never  again  leave  us." 

Edward  looked  at  Mary,  who  blushed  like  a  peony. 

"  I  see  how  the  wind  sits,"  said  the  worthy  deacon.  "  Come 
hither,  Mary  Wardsworth." 

Mary,  with  trembling  steps,  approached  her  guardian. 

"  Mary,"  said  the  deacon,  "  we  must  look  to  you  for  secu 
rity  that  Edward  will  never  play  truant  again." 

He  put  her  trembling  hand  into  that  of  his  son. 

Edward  has  never  been  to  sea  since.     He  is  now  a  happy 


288 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


and  prosperous  farmer;  and,  blessed  with  an  affectionate  wife 
and  three  lovely  children,  he  every  year  welcomes  the  ap 
proach  of  November,  and  reads  in  the  newspapers,  with  keen 
gratification,  the  governor's  proclamation  for  THANKSGIVING 
DAY. 


NED  GASKET'S  STORY. 

THE    PIRATE    IN    THE    OLD    BAHAMA    CHANNEL. 

"  Then  said  the  rover 

To  his  jolly  crew, 
Up  with  the  black  flag, 

Down  with  the  blue  ; 
Fire  in  the  main-top, 

Fire  on  the  bow  ; 
Fire  on  the  gun  deck, 

Fire  down  below."  OLD  BALLAD. 

A  FEW  years  have  passed  away  since  a  ship  of  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  tons,  called  the  Belle  Rosa,  was  running 
down  the  "  south-east  trades,"  in  the  south  Atlantic  "Ocean, 
between  the  latitude  of  Ascension  and  the  equinoctial  line. 
She  was  on  her  return  from  the  East  Indies,  with  as  fine  a 
crew  on  board  as  ever  manned  a  windlass  and  responded  to 
the  musical  cry  of  "  Yeo,  heave-o  !  "  The  wind  was  right 
aft,  a  gentle  but  steady  breeze ;  and,  for  more  than  one  week, 
the  Belle  Rosa,  under  its  benignant  influence,  had  been  qui 
etly  gliding  over  the  surface  of  the  waters  towards  the  United 
States,  without  its  being  necessary  to  trim  a  sail,  to  touch  a 
tack,  a  sheet,  a  halliard,  or  a  brace,  so  steady  had  been  the 
breeze  in  that  ever  smooth  and  quiet  part  of  the  ocean  !  And 
beautiful  indeed  looked  the  ship  as  she  moved  gracefully 
along  over  the  quiet  sea,  while,  spread  on  her  lofty  and  taper 
masts,  was  a  crowd  of  sail  to  catch  the  passing  breeze.  Seen 
from  her  wake,  with  her  lower,  topmast,  top-gallant  and  royal 
25 


290  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

studding-sails  on  both  sides,  and  main  skysail  set,  she  seemed 
a  living  pyramid  of  snow,  or  a  beautifully  devised  but  fantas 
tic  palace,  moved  by  some  magic  power  over  the  face  of  the 
waters. 

It  was  the  Sabbath  day.  The  crew  had  partaken  of  their 
Sunday  dinner,  and,  in  neat  and  trig  attire,  and  happy  counte 
nances,  were  lounging  about  the  main  deck  and  forecastle ; 
some  were  reading  their  Bible,  happily  the  present  of  a  ven 
erated  mother ;  a  small  group,  gathered  around  the  heel  of 
the  bowsprit,  were  conversing  in  cheerful  but  subdued  tones, 
spinning  yarns,  or  indulging  in  interesting  reminiscences. 
Some  were  humming  or  attempting  to  hum  a  good  old-fash 
ioned  psalm  tune,  such  as  they  had  listened  to  in  the  old 
meeting-house  of  their  fathers  in  days  gone  by,  and  others 
were  intently  busied  in  reading,  perhaps  for  the  hundredth 
time,  the  last  letters  received  from  home,  or  gazing,  with  eyes 
sparkling  with  affection,  on  the  gift  of  a  dear,  perhaps  loved, 
friend.  It  was  a  pleasant  day,  that  Sabbath  on  the  ocean. 
The  captain  was  engaged  in  the  cabin  in  working  out  a  series 
of  lunar  observations  that  he  had  taken  the  night  before  ;  the 
chief  mate  was  employed  in  his  state-room,  in  transferring  the 
record  on  the  log-slate  to  the  log-book ;  the  second  officer, 
who  had  charge  of  the  watch  on  deck,  was  comfortably 
seated  on  the  hen-coop,  beneath  a  temporary  awning,  reading 
an  interesting  book  of  adventures,  and  ever  and  anon  rising 
to  look  over  the  quarter,  and  note  the  progress  of  the  ship,  or 
to  peep  into  the  binnacle,  and  see  that  the  helmsman  kept -her 
strictly  on  her  course. 

The  group  around  the  heel  of  the  bowsprit  became  larger, 
for  Harry  Williams,  an  old  man-of-war's  man,  had  been  giv 
ing,  in  real  man-of-war  style,  an  interesting  description  of  the 
terrible  conflict,  during  the  last  war,  between  the  General 
Armstrong  privateer,  and  the  boats  of  an  English  squadron. 
When  Harry  had  concluded  his  tale,  which  was  well  fitted  to 


NED  GASKET'S  STORY.  291 

his  audience,  and  was  received  with  much  applause,  Ned 
Gasket  volunteered  a  yarn  about  the  pirates  off  Cuba,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  all  hands,  excepting  the  man  at  the  helm,  were 
listening  with  the  closest  attention  to  his  story. 

Ned  Gasket  was  a  well-built  man,  about  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  with  a  countenance  which  might  be  called  intelligent, 
although  the  deep  furrows  in  his  cheeks,  and  his  wrinkled 
brow,  told  a  sad  tale  of  the  excesses  to  which  he  had  long 
been  addicted,  which  had  impaired  his  constitution,  destroyed 
his  character,  and  were  rapidly  producing  a  premature  old 
age.  His  connections  were  highly  respectable,  and  in  early 
youth  he  had  received  a  good  education.  At  the  outset  of 
his  career,  he  promised  to  make  a  useful  member  of  society ; 
but  he  acquired  intemperate  habits,  frequented  low  company, 
became  idle  and  dissipated,  thus  blasting  the  hopes  of  his 
friends,  who,  after  repeated  efforts  to  reclaim  him,  abandoned 
him  to  his  fate,  and,  as  a  desperate  resort,  he  went  to  sea. 
He  no  longer  cherished  any  respect  for  himself,  or  wish  to 
advance  his  condition  or  his  fortunes,  and  soon  settled  down 
into  the  habits  of  a  real  "  old  salt."  At  sea,  with  no  means 
of  becoming  intemperate,  he  was  an  excellent  sailor,  and  was 
prized  by  his  officers  as  a  good  man.  In  port,  or  on  shore,  he 
gave  himself  up  to  the  gratification  of  his  sensual  appetites, 
and  was  but  one  degree  removed  from  a  brute.  And  such  is 
the  history  of  many  a  sailor,  whose  natural  talents  and  supe 
rior  education  would  have  rendered  them  highly  useful  men, 
and  valuable  ornaments  to  society,  had  they  not  been  wooed 
and  won  by  intemperance  ! 

"  You  well  recollect,  shipmates,"  said  Ned  Gasket,  after  he 
had  comfortably  stowed  himself  away  between  the  bowsprit- 
bits,  "  that,  years  ago,  a  great  many  acts  of  piracy  were  com 
mitted  in  the  West  Indies,  principally  on  the  coast  of  Cuba 
and  the  Bahama  Bank.  These  pirates  were  the  scum  and 
.  rough-scuff  of  all  nations ;  vagabonds  who  had  been  in  the 


292  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

'  Patriot '  service,  as  it  was  called,  and  had  there  been  initi 
ated  into  all  kinds  of  villany.  They  were  too  lazy  to  work, 
and  too  roguish  to  live  in  an  honest  community ;  and 
collected  by  hundreds  in  Cuba,  making  their  head  quarters 
in  Havana,  and  purchased  suitable  vessels,  and  carried  on 
the  business  of  piracy,  which  they  reduced  to  a  regular 
system. 

"  Some  of  these  piratical  vessels  were  fitted  out  at  Havana 
and  Matanzas.  But  afterwards,  when  our  government  and 
John  Bull  made  a  fuss  about  it,  the  pirates  became  more  shy, 
and  resorted  to  the  intricate  creeks  and  lagoons  on  the  Isle  of 
Pines,  or  among  the  keys  and  bays  on  the  north-east  side  of 
Cuba,  bordering  on  the  old  Bahama  Channel.  At  the  com 
mencement  of  these  piracies,  the  scoundrels  contented  them 
selves  with  robbing  the  vessel,  flogging  and  otherwise  mal 
treating  the  crew,  keel-hauling  the  skipper,  and  outraging  the 
lady  passengers  when  they  could  meet  with  them.  But  in  a 
year  or  two,  when  great  efforts  were  made  to  capture  and 
hang  them,  they  waxed  more  cruel  and  blood-thirsty,  and 
murdered  in  cold  blood  every  living  soul  they  could  find  on 
board  the  vessels  that  they  robbed.  The  horrible  acts  of  the 
pirates,  in  those  days,  surpass  all  that  history  relates  of  the 
most  desperate  and  cruel  brigands,  or  salt  water  robbers,  in 
ancient  or  modern  times.  Their  depredations  and  murders 
were  continued  for  years,  before  they  were  thoroughly  sub 
dued,  captured  or  dispersed ;  and  this  was  done  at  last  only  by 
blockading  their  haunts,  and  attacking  them  in  their  secluded 
harbors,  in  boat  expeditions. 

"  It  was  in  the  year  1822  or  1823,  that  I  made  one  of  the 
crew  of  a  fine  brig,  belonging  to  Salem,  called  the  Horse 
Mackerel.  We  sailed  from  Marseilles  for  St.  Thomas,  with 
an  assorted  cargo ;  but  finding  no  market  in  St.  Thomas,  Cap 
tain  Seymour  concluded  to  run  down  through  the  old  Bahama 
Channel,  to  Matanzas.  And  as  the  Horse  Mackerel  was  a 


NED  GASKET'S  STORY.  293 

fast-sailing  vessel,  with  painted  ports,  and  we  had  two  real 
iron  nine-pounders  on  board,  with  a  dozen  muskets,  boarding- 
pikes,  &c.,  and  mustered  twelve  resolute  fellows  in  all,  without 
including  the  captain's  wife,  a  young  and  interesting  woman, 
Captain  Seymour  laughed  to  scorn  the  suggestion  that  the 
old  Bahama  was  infested  by  pirates,  and  with  an  air  of  self- 
satisfaction  declared  that  he  feared  them  not.  '  The  bloody- 
minded  villains,'  said  he,  '  will  not  dare  to  attack  the  Horse 
Mackerel ! ' 

"  On  the  passage  down,  however,  he  thought  it  well  to  be 
prepared  for  whatever  might  happen,  and  caused  the  guns  to 
be  got  ready,  cartridges  to  be  made,  and  the  few  round  and 
double-headed  shot  which  were  stowed  away  in  the  run,  to 
be  brought  on  deck,  ready  for  use,  in  case  they  might  be 
wanted. 

"  It  was  about  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day 
after  we  left  St.  Thomas,  that  we  found  ourselves  between  the 
high  and  mountainous  coast  of  Cuba,  back  of  Point  Mulas,  on 
the  south,  and  key  San  Domingo  and  the  numerous  banks, 
reefs,  and  rocks,  which  form  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
channel  at  its  entrance.  There  was  a  fresh  breeze  from  about 
north-east,  and,  with  all  sails  spread,  the  brig  bounded  merrily 
along,  with  the  wind  a  couple  of  points  abaft  the  starboard 
beam.  With  top-mast  and  top-gallant  studding-sails  set,  and 
with  a  heavy  swell  heaving  through  the  channel  from  the 
eastward,  we  ran  past  the  northern  coast  of  Cuba  at  a  rapid 
rate,  looking  into  the  numerous  bays  and  harbors  which  line 
that  part  of  the  coast,  and  admiring  the  fertility  of  the  vege 
tation.  After  we  passed  the  bay  which  forms  the  entrance  to 
the  harbor  of  Xeuvas  del  Principe,  the  channel  became  more 
contracted,  and  we  soon  found  that  reefs,  shoals  and  low  isl 
ands  extended  for  several  miles  off  the  coast.  Indeed,  from 
Port  Principe  to  Point  Yeacos,  which  lies  eastward  of  Mataii- 
zas  bay,  the  whole  coast  is  guarded  by  a  line  of  reefs,  extend- 
25* 


294  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

ing  several  miles  from  the  land,  abounding  in  intricate  chan 
nels  and  harbors,  which  are  known  only  to  fishermen,  coasters, 
or  pirates. 

"  We  soon  approached  the  narrowest  part  of  the  strait,  and 
were  obliged  to  haul  our  wind,  and  steer  as  high  as  north- 
west-by-north  ;  and,  as  we  left  the  land,  we  could  discover  on 
the  starboard  hand  the  white  waters  on  the  Bahama  Banks, 
with  the  waves  dashing  against  rocks  and  reefs,  and  sending 
aloft  volumes  of  spray.  The  channel  is  here  not  more  than 
eight  or  ten  miles  in  width,  and  its  boundaries  were  clearly 
defined.  The  dark  blue  waters  of  the  fathomless  strait,  con 
trasted  singularly  and  beautifully  with  the  milky  hue  of  the 
shoal  waters  on  each  side. 

"  It  was  now  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  Sugar 
Key  was  in  sight.  *  Hurrah  ! '  said  the  captain,  '  we  are 
now  in  the  narrowest  part  of  the  channel ;  we  shall  soon  be 
able  to  keep  off  a  couple  of  points,  and,  if  this  breeze  lasts, 
we  will  be  up  with  the  Salt  Key  Bank  before  eight  o'clock 
to-morrow  morning,  and  in  Matanzas  before  meridian.' 

"  '  I  hope  so,'  exclaimed  his  pretty  wife;  '  I  long  to  be  once 
more  in  port,  and  I  hardly  know  why.  This  is  beautiful 
sailing,  and  there  is  something  refreshing  in  this  fine  trade- 
wind.  But  I  cannot  overcome  all  apprehension  of  danger 
from  those  terrible  pirates.' 

"  '  Don't  be  a  coward,  Harriet.  Your  courage  has  carried 
you  without  flinching  through  many  scenes  of  real  danger, 
and  I  hope  you  are  not  now  going  to  be  frightened  at  shad 
ows.' 

"  '  Perhaps  I  am  foolish,'  she  replied.  «  But  the  idea  of 
falling  into  the  hands  of  those  wretches  is  terrible.  They 
know  nothing  of  mercy,  and  exult  in  deeds  of  blood  and  out 
rage.  But  you  say  there  is  no  cause  for  alarm,  and  I  will 
try  to  think  so,  in  spite  of  gloomy  forebodings,  which  come 
like  shadows  over  my  mind.' 


NED  GASKET'S  STORY.  295 

"  « Cheer  up,  my  love,  and  don't  indulge  in  such  fancies,' 
said  her  husband,  in  an  encouraging  tone.  '  The  American 
and  English  vessels  of  war  in  these  seas  have  captured  or 
destroyed  all  the  pirate  vessels.  If  any  piracy  is  still  carried 
on,  it  is  by  means  of  open  boats,  or  feluccas,  manned  by  a 
few  desperate  villains,  armed  with  muskets.  They  attack 
only  the  defenceless,  and  if  a  dozen  of  them  should  attack  the 
Horse  Mackerel,  especially  in  such  a  breeze  as  this,  we  would 
run  them  down,  or  sink  them  by  a  few  well-directed  shots. 
But  we  shall  see  nothing ;  and,  indeed,  if  the  worse  comes  to 
the  worst,  we  can  use  our  heels.  Few  vessels,  in  a  good  breeze, 
can  overhaul  the  Horse  Mackerel.' 

"  His  confident  tone  and  cheerful  manner  dispelled,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  apprehensions  of  his  wife,  and  the  wonted 
smiles  returned  to  her  cheeks.  But  old  Jack  McNeil,  who 
had  been  many  voyages  to  Cuba,  and  was  a  knowing  old  salt, 
while  coiling  up  the  spanker-sheet,  had  listened  to  the  cap 
tain's  remarks  with  an  incredulous  grin,  and,  when  he  came 
forward,  in  a  low  but  gruff  tone,  grumbled  out,  '  When  a 
man  talks  to  a  woman,  I  s'pose  he  may  talk  as  much  nonsense 
as  he  likes,  therefore  I  've  nothing  to  say  agin'  it.  But  the 
bloody-minded  pirates  are  not  all  taken  yet,  as  we  may  find, 
to  our  cost ;  and  if  we  don't  have  a  brush  with  the  rascals, 
and  have  to  fight  for  our  lives  before  we  get  to  Matanzas,  say 
old  Jack  's  mistaken,  that 's  all.' 

"  '  What  makes  you  think  so,  Jack  ?  '  I  modestly  inquired. 

"  « Because  I  know  more  about  them  than  you  do,  Xed. 
They  are  not  so  easily  destroyed  as  the  captain  thinks.  Every 
port,  big  or  little,  swarms  with  the  pirates,  who  have  learned 
their  trade  on  board  Pa-triot  privateers,  or  Spanish  Guinea- 
men,  and  they  can  always  find  vessels  enough,  and  guns,  too, 
to  answer  their  purposes.  We  are  now  coming  upon  their 
haunts.  The  Old  Bahama,  between  here  and  Matanzas,  and 
off  Cape  Antonio,  at  the  west  end  of  Cuba,  are  famous  places 


296  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

for  pirates,  and  we  have  no  right  to  expect  to  go  clear,  espe 
cially  as  we  have  a  woman  on  board,  —  mischief  and  women 
always  go  together;'  and  the  old  fellow  made  a  grimace, 
which  twisted  his  weather-beaten  visage  into  the  shape,  and 
almost  the  consistency,  of  a  double-wall  knot,  for  which  I 
could  have  kicked  him  with  pleasure,  for  I  was  young  then, 
and  looked  on  every  pretty  woman  as  a  saint.  I  have  learnt 
better  since. 

"  J3ut  before  I  could  give  utterance  to  the  indignation  with 
which  I  listened  to  this  ill-natured  sneer  of  old  Jack,  Mr. 
Parkins,  the  second  mate,  who  had  just  gone  aloft  with  the 
glass,  called  out,  '  There  is  a  vessel  at  anchor,  inside  the 
reefs ! ' 

"  *  What  does  she  look  like  ?  '  inquired  the  captain. 

"  '  A  schooner,  sir.' 

"  '  Ay,  ay,  I  see  her  from  the  deck,'  replied  the  captain. 
'  She  is  at  anchor  to  leeward  of  Sugar  Key.  Some  drogher, 
I  suppose,'  continued  he,  in  a  lower  tone,  'waiting  for  a 
wind.' 

"  '  That  can  hardly  be,  Captain  Seymour,'  said  Mr.  Handy, 
the  chief  mate,  *  for  I  see  she  is  a  topsail  schooner,  and  I 
believe  none  of  the  droghers  carry  topsails.' 

"  While  we  rapidly  neared  the  vessel  at  anchor,  conjecture 
was  very  busy  in  regard  to  her  character,  and  what  object 
she  could  have  in  anchoring  amid  the  reefs,  several  miles  from 
the  main  land,  and  where  she  could  command  a  view  of  all 
the  vessels  that  might  pass  through  the  channel. 

"  '  She  may  be  a  slaver,  with  a  cargo  of  human  flesh,  waiting 
for  a  chance  to  land  her  slaves,'  suggested  the  captain. 

"  '  Yes,'  replied  Mr.  Handy,  <  or  she  may  be  a  schooner, 
bound  down  channel,  which  got  in  among  the  reefs  in  the 
night,  and  is  waiting  for  assistance,  or  a  pilot,  to  help  her 
out.' 

"  '  Or,'  suggested  the  second  mate,  « she  may  be  one  of 


NED  GASKET'S  STORY.  297 

Commodore  Porter's  squadron,  snugly  anchored  under  the  lee 
of  Sugar  Key,  on  the  look-out  for  pirates.' 

"  *  More  likely  she  's  a  pirate,  herself! '  growled  out  old 
Jack  McXeil,  in  a  low  tone. 

"  In  the  mean  time,  we  were  running  along  the  channel,  and 
approaching  the  schooner  rapidly.  Indeed,  she  was  a  suspi 
cious-looking  craft ;  her  masts  were  taunt  and  tapering,  raking 
far  more  than  is  usual  with  the  drogher.  She  sat  low  on  the 
water,  and  her  hull  was  long,  snakish-looking,  and  painted 
Hack.  She  was  evidently  a  clipper,  and  there  was  a  dark- 
looking  mass  just  abaft  her  foremast,  which  might  be  a  long 
boat,  or  a  pile  of  sails,  or  cargo  covered  with  a  tarpaulin,  or 
a  death-dealing  <  long  Tom.'  Taken  altogether,  she  had  a 
sort  of  roguish,  rascally  look  about  her,  which  might  satisfy 
one  at  a  single  glance  that  she  was  a  dangerous  craft,  and 
the  less  one  had  to  do  with  her,  the  better.  It  was  not  long 
before  we  were  abreast  of  the  schooner,  only  about  two  or 
three  miles  off,  but  no  sign  of  life  could  be  seen  on  her  decks. 
She  was  riding  at  single  anchor  among  the  reefs,  with  no 
colors  flying,  and  nothing  about  her  which  could  furnish  the 
slightest  clue  to  the  nation  to  which  she  belonged,  or  the  busi 
ness  in  which  she  was  engaged. 

"  '  Never  mind  ! '  said  the  captain  to  his  wife,  who  had  been 
whispering  her  fears ;  '  she  is  a  wicked-looking  craft,  to  be 
sure,  and  they  are  a  sulky  set  on  board  of  her.  But  she 
does  not  seem  inclined  to  trouble  us,  at  any  rate.  Even  if 
she  is  a  pirate,  and  has  been  trying  to  make  us  out  ever  since 
we  hove  in  sight,  she  could  not  harm  us  now.  She  has  lost 
tho.  chance.  Before  she  could  work  out  into  the  channel,  and 
get  in  our  wake,  it  would  be  dark ;  we  should  be  many  miles 
ahead,  and  would  show  her  a  clean  pair  of  heels.' 

"  •  Captain  Seymour,'  exclaimed  old  McXeil,  who  had  been 
closely  watching  the  schooner  with  his  starboard  eye,  —  the 
other  had  been  knocked  out,  years  before,  by  a  British  bullet, 


298  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

— « we  shall  know  more  of  that  craft  before  she  has  done 
with  us.  She  has  hove  her  anchor  short,  and  a  man  has  just 
slyly  crept  aloft  to  loose  her  topsail ! ' 

"  And  old  Jack  was  right.  Her  cable,  that  a  few  minutes 
before  trended  away  under  the  jib-boom,  as  if  there  was  a  long 
scope  out,  was  now  as  up  and  down  as  a  dog-vane  in  a  calm, 
and  a  man  or  a  boy  could  be  seen  stealthily  employed  in  cast 
ing  off  the  yard-arm  gaskets  from  the  topsail.  It  was  clear 
that  mischief  was  brewing. 

"  *  Call  all  hands  ! '  exclaimed  Captain  Seymour,  in  a  loud 
and  startling  tone,  which  rang  through  the  vessel.  But  the 
order  was  unnecessary,  for  every  man  was  on  deck,  and,  by 
this  time,  well  convinced  that  the  black-looking  schooner 
would  soon  be  cutting  out  work  for  us. 

"  '  Set  the  flying-jib,  Mr.  Parkins,'  continued  the  captain, 
'  and  the  fore  and  main  top-gallant  studding-sails,'  —  which 
had  been  taken  in  when  we  hauled  up  to  pass  Sugar  and 
Minerva  Keys. 

"  I  ran  aloft  to  assist  in  executing  these  orders,  feeling,  with 
every  man  on  board,  that  a  crisis  had  arrived  when  we  were 
called  upon  to  exert  all  our  energies.  As  I  reached  the 
futtock  shrouds,  I  cast  a  look  to  leeward,  over  the  fore-yard, 
to  see  what  the  schooner  was  about,  and  the  change  which,  in 
less  than  a  minute,  had  come  over  her,  appeared  like  magic. 
I  could  hardly  believe  my  eyes.  When  I  saw  her  from  the 
deck,  she  was  lying  quietly  at  anchor,  in  a  smooth  haven, 
with  no  sign  of  life  or  animation  on  her  deck,  and  her  long 
and  naked  masts  stood  out  in  bold  relief  against  the  south 
western  sky.  Now,  her  decks  were  crowded  with  men  ;  and, 
with  immense  sheets  of  canvas  spread,  she  was  moving  along 
with  wonderful  quickness,  on  a  wind,  through  a  channel  which 
led  into  the  deep  waters  of  the  strait. 

"  '  It  is  all  over  with  us,  now,'  said  I  to  myself;  '  poor 
Pilgarlick  's  gone  at  last ;  but  I  must  finish  my  job  of  work,  I 


NED  GASKET'S  STORY.  299 

suppose,  whatever  may  happen,'  and  I  proceeded  to  set  the 
studding-sail. 

"  When  I  came  down,  Captain  Seymour  ordered  all  hands 
aft,  and  addressed  the  crew  in  a  short,  pithy  speech.  '  My 
men,'  said  he,  *  yonder  is  a  piratical-looking  craft,  a  clipper, 
undoubtedly,  which  seems  determined  to  overhaul  us.  She 
looks  like  a  rogue,  but,  perhaps,  after  all,  may  have  no  evil 
intentions.  Perhaps  she  is  a  cruiser  on  a  quest  after  pirates, 
and  wishes  to  convoy  us  through  the  most  dangerous  part  of 
the  channel.' 

"  '  If  she  's  a  cruiser,'  muttered  Jack  McNeil,  '  where  's  her 
pennant  ? ' 

"  *  Well,'  continued  the  captain,  apparently  staggered  by 
McNeil's  remark,  '  whatever  she  may  be,  it  is  for  our  interest 
to  keep  as  far  from  her  as  possible.  If  she  overhauls  us,  and 
proves  to  be  a  pirate,  we  must  fight  as  long  as  a  man  is  left 
at  the  guns.  VA  dreadful  fate,  as  you  all  know,  will  await  us 
if  we  are  captured.  We  shall  be  made  to  walk  the  plank,  or 
have  our  throats  cut  in  cold  blood,  and'  —  here  he  looked  at 
his  wife,  who,  pale  and  trembling,  leaning  against  the  quarter- 
rail,  was  a  close  observer  of  the  whole  scene  ;  a  shudder  came 
over  his  frame  as  he  added,  in  a  firm  tone,  '  prepare  to  fight 
like  men,  or  die  like  dogs.  But,  after  all,'  continued  he* 
after  a  momentary  pause,  '  we  may  get  away  ;  our  brig  sails 
fast,  and  this  is  her  best  mode  of  sailing,  with  the  wind  a 
point  or  two  free.  If  we  can  hold  our  own  until  night  comes 
on,  we  can  run  on  to  the  Bahama  Bank,  and  dodge  her  in  the 
darkness.' 

"  Captain  Seymour  then,  with  the  energy,  decision,  and  judg 
ment  of  a  true  Yankee  sailor,  gave  the  necessary  orders ; 
the  topsails  and  top-gallant-sails  were  closely  sheeted  home, 
and  swigged  well  up  ;  the  tacks  of  the  courses  were  got  down, 
and  the  sheets  properly  trimmed  ;  the  yards  were  braced  with 
the  utmost  precision,  and  an  experienced  and  trusty  seaman 


300  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

was  placed  at  the  helm.  The  brig  seemed  to  respond  to  the 
wishes  of  the  crew,  and,  the  breeze  continuing  fresh,  she 
seemed  to  leap  through  the  water,  running  along  at  the  rate 
of  nine  or  ten  knots.  Orders  were  then  given  to  cut  loose 
the  extra  lashings  of  the  guns,  and  charge  them  with  a  round 
shot  and  a  bag  of  bullets  each.  The  small  arms  were  also  got 
ready  and  loaded  each  with  a  handful  of  buckshot ;  and  the 
boarding-pikes  and  cutlasses  were  placed  at  hand  to  repel  any 
attempts  that  might  be  made  to  board,  a  favorite  manoeuvre 
with  the  pirates. 

"  Meanwhile,  the  schooner  was  threading  her  way  through 
the  shoals  and  reefs,  and  while  the  crew  of  the  Horse  Mack 
erel,  who  watched  her  proceedings  with  intense  anxiety,  hoped 
every  moment  to  see  her  strike  upon  a  sunken  rock  or  a  coral 
knoll,  she  suddenly  luffed  up  almost  in  the  wind's  eye,  and 
glided  out  through  a  narrow  passage  into  the  deep,  dark  blue 
waters  of  the  old  Bahama  Channel.  Then  keeping  off  a  rap 
full,  proceeded  with  all  sail  set  on  a  coarse  nearly  parallel 
with  the  brig,  but  gradually  gaining  to  windward. 

"  It  was  now  little  past  five  o'clock,  and  the  schooner  was 
about  three  or  four  miles  abaft  the  lee  beam,  and  every  lubber 
knows  that  the  best  play  of  these  clippers  is  beating  to  wind 
ward.  We  were  completely  entrapped ;  as  for  keeping  off, 
that  was  out  of  the  question.  If  we  hauled  close  on  a  wind, 
the  schooner  would  gain  upon  us  hand  over  hand.  So  the 
captain  wisely  concluded  to  keep  her  along  with  the  yards  just 
braced  in  a  little,  —  our  best  point  of  sailing,  —  and,  if  we 
could  not  escape,  fight  it  out,  if  she  proved  to  be  a  pirate. 

"  Any  doubt  upon  that  subject,  however,  was  about  to 
be  solved.  The  schooner  gained  upon  us  slowly ;  this  was 
ascertained  by  watching  her  bearings ;  and  a  man  was  seen  on 
her  taffrail  busily  employed  about  the  peak-halliards.  '  We 
shall  soon  know  what  to  expect  of  that  fellow,'  said  the  cap 
tain  ;  '  he 's  about  to  show  his  colors.' 


NED  GASKET'S  STORY.  301 

Every  eye  was  now  eagerly  directed  towards  the  schooner. 
For  a  few  minutes  we  were  in  suspense.  A  ball  was  attached 
to  the  halliards  and  slowly  hoisted  up  to  the  peak.  It  was 
then  unfolded,  and  the  breeze  spread  out  to  our  view  the  Hack 
flag  of  the  pirates. 

"  '  There  is  no  mistake  about  his  character  now,'  said  the 
captain  ;  '  we  have  our  work  before  us  ;  but,  avast,  there  is 
something  in  the  centre  of  the  flag  that  looks  like  a  crown 
Mr.  Parkins,  you  have  good  eyes,  try  if  you  can  make  it 
out.' 

The  mate  took  the  glass,  looked  through  it  for  a  moment, 
then  returning  it  to  the  captain,  quietly  remarked,  'A 
Death's  head  and  marrow  bones  !  ' 

"As  the  sun  sunk  down  towards  the  horizon,  the  breeze  in 
creased,  and  dark  clouds  appeared  to  windward,  indicating  a 
squally  night.  Our  good  brig  dashed  gallantly  along,  laying 
well  over  to  leeward,  and  tossing  the  spray  about  at  a  great 
rate.  Her  masts  stood  stiff,  and  her  yards  were  well  secured 
with  preventer-braces,  but  not  a  sail  was  taken  in.  '  Hold 
on,  good  spars,'  exclaimed  the  captain,  '  and  we  will  give  him 
the  slip  yet !  ' 

"  But  the  pirate  also  carried  all  sail,  and  did  not  seem  to 
mind  the  strength  of  the  breeze.  He,  however,  hauled  up  a 
point  higher,  and  trimmed  his  sails  on  a  wind,  being  evidently 
desirous  of  closing  with  us  before  dark.  At  sunset  he  was  on 
our  lee  quarter,  not  more  than  a  mile  or  a  mile  and  a  half  off, 
and  it  was  clear  that  the  crisis  of  our  fate  was  approaching. 

"  All  hands  had  imbibed  a  portion  of  the  spirit  of  the  cap 
tain,  and  had  determined  to  stand  by  him  as  long  as  a  breath 
remained  in  our  bodies.  His  plan  was  to  take  in  the  stud 
ding-sails,  and  get  the  brig  ready  for  working,  but  to  keep  on 
the  course  we  were  steering,  without  firing  a  gun,  while  we 
were  to  screen  ourselves  as  much  as  possible  from  tho  effects 
of  the  enemy's  shot,  until  he  got  well  up  on  the  weather 
26 


302  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

quarter,  then  put  the  helm  hard  down,  let  her  come  into  the 
wind,  get  into  a  raking  position,  and,  at  the  same  time  give 
him,  at  close  quarters,  the  contents  of  our  large  guns,  well 
directed,  and  of  all  our  small  arms,  taking  care  to  pepper  well 
the  scoundrels  who  might  be  on  the  bowsprit  and  forecastle 
ready  for  boarding.  This  dose  was  to  be  repeated  as  often  and 
as  rapidly  as  possible,  if  there  should  be  a  prospect  of  his 
coming  on  board  of  us  before  we  could  fill  away  on  the  other 
tack.  If  he  ran  into  us,  we  were  to  resort  to  our  boarding- 
pikes  and  cutlasses,  and  manfully  defend  our  vessel  against  all 
odds,  or  die  on  the  deck  of  our  ship. 

"  Mrs.  Seymour  exhibited  much  alarm  when  the  piratical 
flag  was  hoisted.  Her  cheeks  were  pale  as  marble,  and  she 
leaned  for  support  against  the  capstan.  She  listened  to  the 
suggestion  of  her  husband  to  go  below,  when  it  was  thought 
the  pirate  might  give  us  the  contents  of  his  long  Tom ;  but 
she  soon  afterwards  returned  to  the  deck,  in  a  costume  more 
suitable  for  active  exercise  than  ladies  usually  appear  in. 
'  I  have  more  at  stake  than  any  one  on  board,'  said  she,  in  a 
tremulous  voice,  '  and  I  cannot  remain  idle  below,  while  it  is 
in  rny  power  to  render  the  slightest  aid  in  this  deadly  contest 
with  the  pirates.' 

"  At  eight  o'clock  the  sky  was  obscured  by  clouds.  It  was 
quite  dark,  yet  the  pirate  schooner  .  could  be  distinctly  seen 
not  half  a  mile  off,  directly  in  our  wake,  and  coming  up  hand 
over  hand.  Our  captain  was  pacing  the  quarter-deck  with 
hasty  steps,  occasionally  addressing  a  few  words  of  hope  and 
encouragement  to  his  terrified  wife.  The  chief  mate  and  six 
men  had  charge  of  the  two  guns,  both  of  which  were  on  the 
starboard  side,  with  orders  to  fire  as  soon  as  they  could  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  pirate,  after  going  about.  To  the 
second  mate  and  three  men,  all  good  marksmen,  were  en 
trusted  the  muskets ;  while  the  cook,  a  huge  black  fellow,  kept 
his  station  in  the  galley,  with  his  coppers  filled  with  boiling 


NED    GASKET  S   STORY. 


303 


water,  and  armed  with  a  capacious  ladle,  with  which  he  prom 
ised  to  deal  it  out  in  liberal  supplies  to  the  pirates,  if  they 
once  poked  their  noses  over  the  gunwale. 

"  Another  half  hour  had  passed,  by  which  time  the  pirate 
had  approached  so  near  on  our  weather  quarter,  that  we  could 
distinctly  hear  the  ripple  beneath  her  bows.  The  water,  by 
this  time,  had  changed  color,  for  we  had  run  on  to  the  southern 
edge  of  the  bank.  The  time  had  arrived  for  practising  the 
daring  manoeuvre,  which  must  save  or  destroy  us,  when  the 
awful  sound  of  BREAKERS  was  heard  ahead !  '  It  must  be 
Ginger  Key,'  exclaimed  the  captain,  '  and  we  are  close  upon 
it.  Stand  by,  men !  '  said  he,  in  a  distinct,  but  subdued 


-i-  • 


voice.     '  Pat  your  helm  hard  down,  Jack,  and  let  her  come 
round ! ' 


304  SATT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

"  His  orders  were  obeyed.  The  brig  luffed  up  into  the  wind, 
still  moving  rapidly  ahead,  and,  almost  instantly,  the  schooner 
bore  a  little  abaft  the  starboard  beam,  heading  directly 
towards  us,  with  her  forecastle  and  bowsprit  crowded  with 
men,  ready  to  spring  on  board.  '  GIVE  IT  TO  HER  ! '  cried 
the  captain,  in  a  voice  like  thunder,  and  the  metallic  shower 
sped,  raking  her  decks  from  the  jib-boom  to  the  taffrail.  At 
the  same  moment  the  muskets,  well  directed,  helped  to  carry 
death  and  confusion  among  the  enemy,  whose  shrieks  of  agony 
and  horrid  oaths  and  menaces  could  be  heard  far  over  the 
face  of  the  deep.  The  effect  was  most  successful. 

"  Captain  Seymour  was  aware  of  his  proximity  to  Ginger 
Key,  and  knew  that  no  time  should  be  lost  in  filling  away. 
In  a  stentorian  voice,  he  summoned  the  men  to  the  braces ; 
the  yards  were  instantly  braced  round,  and  the  sails  trimmed 
to  the  wind  on  the  other  tack.  We  shot  across  the  hawse  of 
the  schooner.  But  the  pirate  was  in  a  desperate  condition. 
Our  guns  must  have  made  fearful  havoc  among  the  host  of 
men  which  crowded  his  deck.  Confusion  reigned  on  board. 
He  did  not  follow  our  example  in  tacking  ship.  On  the  con 
trary,  the  schooner  fell  off  from  the  wind,  and,  before  the 
Horse  Mackerel  could  gather  much  head-way,  the  pirate,  still 
running  at  the  rate  of  nine  or  ten  knots,  dashed  madly  in 
among  the  rocks  which  surround  Ginger  Key." 


HOV   TO    RAISE   A  BREEZE. 

"  After  a  calm  there  comes  a  storm." 

THERE  is  nothing  more  destructive  to  the  patience  of  a 
sailor  —  a  real  old-fashioned,  web-footed  "  old  salt  "  —  than  a 
calm  at  sea.  Other  evils  he  can  bear,  if  not  with  resignation, 
at  least  without  losing  command  over  his  feelings  and  his 
temper.  Miserable  grub  he  can  put  up  with,  though,  per 
haps,  not  without  grumbling ;  a  short  allowance  of  water  in  a 
hot  climate  is  not  agreeable,  but,  with  a  grin  of  disgust,  he 
submits  to  his  lot ;  hard  work,  and  plenty  of  it,  is  hardly  re 
garded  as  an  evil,  but  welcomed  as  a  blessing;  a  leaky  ship, 
a  dull  sailer,  and  skulking  shipmates,  are  matters  of  course, 
and  excite  no  particular  manifestation  of  indignation  or  regret; 
and  a  furious  tempest,  especially  when  on  a  lee  shore,  brings 
out  all  his  energies,  and  makes  him  as  happy  as  a  dandy 
at  a  dancing  party,  or  a  porpoise  bound  on  a  long  cruise. 

A  calm  is  a  different  thing.  Like  many  other  terrible  ills 
of  life,  it  comes  not  only  without  being  desired,  but  without 
being  expected  ;  and  all  Jack's  philosophy  melts  away  before 
it,  like  a  spongy  cake  of  field  ice  when  it  strikes  the  Gulf 
Stream.  The  flapping  of  the  sails  against  the  masts  is  dis 
cordant  music  in  his  ears,  and  the  thrashing  of  the  ropes 
about  the  decks  conjures  up  scowls  and  mutterings,  not  loud 
but  deep,  which  clearly  indicate  that  such  life-like  motion  is 
not  poetry  in  his  eyes.  His  short,  jolly  countenance  becomes 
elongated  till  it  reminds  one  of  the  equator,  all  longitude  and 
126* 


306  .         SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

no  latitude  ;  his  eyes,  which  are  wont  to  kindle  with  mirth  or 
beam  with  good  nature,  flash  with  anger  and  ferocity.  From 
a  frank,  open-hearted  sailor,  ready  at  all  points  to  meet  the 
frowns  or  favors  of  fortune,  and  willing  to  "  doff  the  world 
aside  and  bid  it  pass,"  Jack  seems  transformed,  as  if  by  the 
trick  of  some  wicked  enchanter,  into  a  morose,  surly  savage ; 
an  Ishmael,  whose  hand  is  ready,  with  the  slightest  provoca 
tion,  to  be  raised  against  every  man  ;  a  cannibal,  whose  glow 
ering  looks  manifest  a  fearful  propensity  to  make  a  meal  of 
his  shipmates,  if  an  opportunity  should  occur. 

Such  is  the  magical  effect  produced  on  the  character  and 
conduct  of  a  whole  ship's  company,  from  the  captain  to  the 
powder-monkey,  by  a  calm  at  sea ;  arid  the  change  becomes 
more  marked  in  proportion  as  the  storm  is  protracted.  I 
verily  believe  that  calms  have  given  rise  to  more  bickerings, 
strife,  heart-burnings  and  bitter  quarrels,  among  the  officers 
and  crews  of  vessels,  and  have  caused  more  brutal  treatment 
on  the  one  hand,  and  scenes  of  insubordination  and  revolt  on 
the  other,  than,  with  the  exception  of  rum,  all  other  causes 
combined.  And  now  having  attempted,  successfully,  I  hope, 
to  give  those  of  my  readers  who  have  never  dipped  their  hands 
into  a  tar-bucket,  or  been  ducked  by  a  deluge  of  salt  water, 
some  idea  of  the  evils  which  are  attendant  on  a  calm,  —  evils 
which,  although  dreaded  by  the  experienced  sailor  more  than 
a  typhoon  or  a  water-spout,  are  unsuspected  by  the  landsman, 
—  I  will  fill  away  the  main-topsail  and  shoot  ahead ;  or,  in 
other  words,  proceed  with  my  narrative. 

The  ship  Memphremagog  was  bound  on  a  voyage  to  San 
Salvador,  in  the  Brazils.  She  was  a  good,  stout,  old-fash 
ioned,  dull-sailing,  Boston  ship,  of  some  three  hundred  and 
fifty  or  four  hundred  tons,  with  a  bright  side,  and  bluff  bows, 
square  stern  and  a  fiddle  head.  She  was  commanded  by 
Nicholas  Brandt,  Esq.,  and  could  boast  of  two  mates,  cook 
and  steward,  and  nine  men  before  the  mast.  Captain  Brandt 


HOW    TO    RAISE    A    BREEZE.  307 

was  a  shipmaster  of  the  old  school.  He  was  a  tall,  lathy- 
looking  piece  of  humanity,  with  but  little  flesh  on  his  huge 
bones,  but  possessing  extraordinary  muscular  developments. 
He  was  a  good  practical  sailor,  having  spent  many  years  of 
his  life  at  sea ;  a  man  of  decision  and  energy,  cool  in  tho 
hour  of  peril,  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  employers,  and 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  He  prided  himself  on 
his  skill  in  managing  his  ship,  and  in  making  short  passages, 
which  he  mainly  attributed,  and  probably  correctly,  not  so 
much  to  "  good  luck,"  as  to  his  own  vigilance  and  personal 
attention  ;  being  a  great  portion  of  the  time  on  deck  himself, 
seldom  taking  a  regular  nap,  excepting  when  lying  to  in  a 
gale,  and  seeing  with  his  own  eyes  that  the  officers  and  crew 
did  their  duty,  especially  in  doubtful  weather  and  in  the  night 
time.  In  this  way  advantage  was  taken,  at  once,  of  every 
change  of  the  wind ;  the  yards  were  braced  up  or  squared 
without  unnecessary  delay,  and  sail  made  or  taken  in  precisely 
at  the  right  time.  It  is  astonishing  how  much  may  be  gained 
by  personal  inspection  of  this  kind,  on  the  part  of  an  active 
and  efficient  shipmaster ;  how  many  hours  and  days  saved  in 
a  passage  !  Captain  Brandt  was  somewhat  annoying  and 
troublesome  to  his  crew,  in  consequence  of  his  unremitting 
exertions  to  get  along  as  quickly  as  possible.  They  would 
have  been  much  better  pleased  if  he  had  accustomed  himself 
to  take  a  stiff  glass  of  brandy  and  water  at  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening,  and  turn  in,  as  was  the  custom  with  some  of 
the  shipmasters  in  those  degenerate  days,  and  there  remain 
snoring  in  his  state-room  until  eight  bells  on  the  following 
morning  !  But  in  other  respects  Captain  Brandt  was  kind 
and  indulgent,  especially  during  a  fair  wind,  and  was  loved 
and  respected  by  the  men,  notwithstanding  he  always  main 
tained  strict  discipline  on  board,  and  was  prompt  to  check, 
at  all  hazards,  the  slightest  symptoms  of  insubordination. 
The  Memphremagog  had  been  out  about  twenty-eight  days, 


308  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

having  had  a  fine  passage  up  with  the  Cape  de  Verds ;  for 
Captain  Maury's  straight  cut  across  the  Atlantic  to  the  equi 
noctial  line  was  unknown  in  those  days.  Captain  Brandt  had 
sanguine  expectations  of  making  a  comparatively  short  pas 
sage  to  Brazil,  and,  if  possible,  redoubled  his  care  and  exer 
tions  to  shove  his  old  tub-bottomed  craft  along  through  the 
water.  But  when  about  sixty  miles  to  the  southward  and 
westward  of  St.  Anthony,  the  westernmost  of  the  Cape  de 
Verd  Islands,  the  wind,  which  for  several  days  had  been 
blowing  fresh  from  the  eastward,  became,  much  to  the  morti 
fication  of  Captain  Brandt,  light  and  baffling,  and  manifested 
symptoms  of  dying  away  altogether  ! 

The  night  which  followed,  although  the  moon  shone  bright 
upon  the  water,  and  the  atmosphere  was  clear  and  tranquil, 
was  a  long  and  unpleasant  one  to  the  skipper,  who  paced  the 
deck  impatiently  hour  after  hour,  while  the  sails  flapped  as 
the  ship  rolled  lazily  to  windward,  and  no  sign  of  a  phospho 
rescent  wake  could  be  witnessed  on  gazing  over  the  stern. 
"  Here  comes  a  breeze,  at  last !  "  he  would  exclaim,  as  the 
shadow  of  a  cloud  passed  over  the  surface  of  the  water. 
"  Blow,  St.  Anthony,  blow  ;  don't  desert  us  at  the  last 
pinch  !  "  And  then  the  main-topsail  would  strike  against  the 
mast,  as  if  it  would  fly  out  of  the  bolt-rope,  and  with  the  rat 
tling  of  the  ropes  and  the  creaking  of  the  masts  and  yards, 
make  music  which  sounded  right  dismally  in  his  ears.  At 
sach  times,  he  would  smite  his  hands  furiously  together,  and 
declare,  with  a  frightful  emphasis,  that  he  would  sooner  a 
thousand  times  listen  to  the  fierce  howlings  of  a  hurricane, 
than  the  discordant,  monotonous,  squeaking  sounds,  caused  by 
the  flapping  and  slatting  of  the  sails  and  running  rigging. 
His  impatient  exclamations,  his  grumblings  and  mutterings, 
however,  produced  no  effect.  Towards  morning,  the  ship  lost 
steerage  way  altogether,  and  by  eight  o'clock  it  was  a  dead 
calm  ;  hardly  a  cat's-paw  was  seen  on  the  water.  And  through 


HOW   TO   KAISE    A    BREEZE.  309 

that  day,  and  the  following  one  also,  the  Memphremagog  lay, 
like  a  log,  floating  on  the  surface. 

This  was  an  event  of  an  annoying  character,  certainly,  but 
one  at  which  Captain  Brandt  had  no  reason  to  be  surprised  ; 
for  vessels  bound  to  the  southward  of  the  line,  by  steering  so 
far  to  the  eastward  as  to  reach  the  vicinity  of  the  Cape  de 
Verds,  are  very  apt  to  get  becalmed,  and  these  calms  some 
times  continue  for  several  days.  But  the  captain  of  the 
Memphremagog  had  coaxed  himself  into  the  belief  that  he 
would  be  especially  favored,  although  it  might  have  puzzled 
him  to  give  a  reason  why,  and  that  a  fine  breeze  would  propel 
him  cheerily  along  across  all  the  "  doldrum  latitudes."  He 
was  doomed  to  disappointment ;  and,  I  regret  to  record  it,  he 
did  not  bear  his  disappointment  like  a  philosopher. 

Captain  Brandt  had  no  more  rest  during  the  day  than 
through  the  night.  He  gave  one  a  good  idea  of  perpetual 
motion.  He  not  only  kept  wide  awake  himself,  but  he  kept 
all  hands  alive  throughout  the  ship.  He  was  upon  the  look 
out  for  a  breeze  in  every  direction  ;  watching  the  clouds, 
whistling  at  times,  at  other  times  singing,  or  shouting,  or  giv 
ing  vent  to  his  feelings  by  language  neither  classical  nor  re 
fined,  but  which,  candor  compels  me  to  say,  unless  he  has  been 
grossly  slandered,  verged  closely  on  the  profane. 

"  Halloo,  Mr.  Thompson  ! "  would  the  skipper  exclaim, 
rubbing  his  hands ;  "  there  comes  a  breeze,  at  last.  I  see  the 
cat's-paw  creeping  along  over  the  water.  How  does  she  head, 
Tom  ?  " 

"  East-south-east,  sir." 

"  Very  well.  Call  the  hands  aft,  Mr.  Thompson,  and  brace 
round  the  head-yards.  Let  us  box  her  off,  and  then  see  all 
clear  to  board  the  main  tack.  Keep  her  south-south-west, 
Tom,  when  she  falls  off  enough." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  helmsman,  giving  a  sly  wink  to 
his  shipmate,  who  was  coiling  up  the  spanker  sheet.  But, 


310  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

alas  !  the  cat's-paw  never  reached  the  ship.  The  old  Mem- 
phremagog  persisted  in  looking  directly  to  the  eastward.  The 
sea  looked  as  glassy,  the  sun's  rays  as  coppery,  and  scorched 
as  fiercely  as  ever,  and  the  sails  flapped  with  redoubled  vio 
lence  against  the  mast.  Captain  Brandt,  in  his  vexation,  would 
stamp  the  deck  as  if  he  would  split  the  planks,  kick  the  stew 
ard,  find  fault  with  the  mates,  and  launch  anathemas  against 
all  hands,  then  stop  suddenly,  take  up  a  chip,  throw  it  over 
the  side,  and  gaze  upon  it  earnestly  for  a  few  moments,  until 
he  saw  that  it  was  disposed  to  linger  on  the  spot  where  it  was 
thrown,  and  to  stick  closer  to  the  ship  than  a  brother,  when 
he  would  give  utterance  to  some  untranslatable  exclamation, 
and  turn  away  with  a  look  of  disappointment  and  unmitigated 
disgust. 

After  taking  a  few  turns  fore  and  aft,  he  would  whistle  an 
impromptu  deprecatory  tune,  more  spirit-stirring  than  any  of 
Uncle  Toby's  lillibulleros,  but  without  conjuring  up  a  breeze. 
Then  he  would  apostrophize  the  winds,  commencing  in  a  mild 
and  persuasive  strain,  but  ending  in  a  style  peremptory,  fierce 
and  emphatic.  "  Blow,  good  breezes,  blow  !  Do  blow,  if 
only  enough  to  fill  the  sails,  and  get  steerage-way  on  the  ship. 
Blow,  I  say ;  why  dorit  you  blow  ?  Blow,  I  tell  you,  blow, 
until  you  blow  the  sails  from  the  yards,  or  the  masts  over  the 
side  !  Blow,  I  tell  you,  blow  !  "  But  the  winds  were  alike 
deaf  to  his  urgent  entreaties,  and  his  fierce  and  menacing  com 
mands.  The  surface  of  the  deep  continued  undisturbed  even 
by  a  ripple  ! 

Nor  was  this  impatient  feeling  confined  to  the  skipper. 
The  crew  felt  deep  in  their  hearts  the  magic  influence  of  the 
sultry  calm,  became  sour  and  sulky,  glowered  fiercely  at  each 
other,  gave  short  answers  to  the  officers,  and  grumbled  furi 
ously,  in  voices  inaudible  to  the  captain  and  mates,  however, 
when  ordered  to  the  performance  of  any  duty.  The  malign 
influence  of  the  protracted  calm  extended  even  further.  The 


HOW    TO    RAISE    A    BREEZE.  311 

steward,  a  fine-looking  mulatto,  looked  as  grim  as  a  savage  ; 
but  this  might  have  been  partly  owing  to  the  uncivil  treat 
ment  which  he  received  from  the  captain  ;  and  the  steward 
in  his  turn  was  very  short,  sulky  and  unceremonious,  to  a 
degree  verging  on  insolence,  to  the  cook,  a  big,  brawny,  black 
fellow,  who  moodily  attended  to  his  duties  about  the  galley, 
with  his  lips  sticking  straight  out,  forming  a  knotty  protuber 
ance,  large  enough  to  hang  a  swab  on,  and  every  now  and 
then  breathing  forth  guttural  denunciations,  in  broken  English, 
against  the  weather. 

Such  was  the  uncomfortable  state  of  things  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  second  day  of  the  calm,  when  Jack  Thompson,  a  mis 
chievous  but  jovial  sailor,  fond  of  a  practical  or  any  other 
joke,  passing  along  the  main  deck  where  a  couple  of  his  ship 
mates  were  serving  a  rope,  suddenly  snatched  away  the  light 
straw  tarpaulin  hat  which  covered  the  cocoa-nut  of  Jeremiah 
Nichols,  a  youth  but  recently  from  the  hills  of  Berkshire,  in 
the  good  old  State  of  Massachusetts,  and  gave  it  a  sea-toss 
far  away  from  the  ship's  side  into  the  water,  exclaiming  at  the 
same  time,  "  Hurrah  !  this  for  old  Neptune  in  exchange  for  a 
breeze  !  " 

Jerry's  astonishment  at  such  an  unlooked-for  proceeding, 
knew  no  bounds.  He  could  not  at  once  appreciate  the  justice 
of  the  act,  or  conceive  why  his  individual  property  should  thus 
be  sacrificed  as  a  propitiatory  offering  to  the  hoary  god  of 
ocean.  On  recovering  from  his  astonishment,  his  first  impulse 
was  to  knock  down  his  joking  shipmate;  but  fortunately  recol 
lecting  that  the  indulgence  of  his  revengeful  feelings  would 
not  recover  his  chapeau,  and  might  be  attended  with  danger 
to  himself,  he  abandoned  this  pugnacious  intention ;  and,  spring 
ing  head-first  overboard,  struck  out  vigorously  in  the  direc 
tion  of  the  old  tarpaulin.  The  cook,  who  was  leaning  over 
the  rail,  indulging  in  some  abstract  philosophical  reflections, 
as  was  his  wont,  turned  pale  with  affright  on  seeing  Jerry 


812  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

tumbling  head  over  heels  into  the  water,  and  instinctively 
screamed,  with  all  his  might  and  main,  "  A  man  overboard  !  " 

This  terrible  cry  reached  the  ears  of  the  captain,  who  was 
down  in  the  cabin,  trying  to  raise  a  breeze  by  pommelling  the 
steward,  and  he  hastened  on  deck,  and  rushed  forward  to  the 
waist.  By  this  time  the  officers  and  men  had  there  assembled, 
and  were  intently  gazing  on  Jerry,  as  he  manfully  "  buffeted 
the  billows."  Suddenly,  but  a  few  rods  off,  a  large  shark  was 
seen,  with  his  dorsal  fin  and  the  upper  portion  of  his  tail  sev 
eral  inches  above  the  surface,  stealthily  swimming  along  in  the 
direction  of  Jerry,  whom  the  rascal  seemed  to  eye  with  a 
deep-seated  affection,  not  altogether  of  a  fraternal  character. 

"  A  shark  !  a  shark  alongside !  "  was  the  cry  which  now 
resounded  fore  and  aft. 

"  Look  out,  Jerry !  "  shouted  the  captain.  "  There  is  a 
shark  after  you  !  Come  back,  come  back,  you  good-for-noth 
ing  vagabond  !  Lower  away  the  boat,  there !  Where  is  the 
harpoon  ?  Hand  along  the  grainse." 

All  was  now  confusion  on  the  decks  of  the  Memphremagog. 
Some  hastened  to  lower  the  boat,  and  some  sought  for  the 
harpoon,  the  grainse  and  the  boat-hook,  with  a  view  to  do 
battle  to  the  voracious  monster,  and  create,  at  least,  a  diver 
sion,  under  cover  of  which  their  shipmate  might  escape  the 
fate  which  seemed  impending  over  him.  But  the  boat  was 
thoroughly  lashed,  and  could  not  be  lowered  in  a  hurry  ;  the 
death-dealing  instruments  could  not  be  found  immediately,  and 
the  shark,  with  his  "  evil  eye  "  glistening  with  the  anticipa 
tion  of  a  luxurious  feast,  was  meanwhile  creeping  along 
rather  closely  towards  Jerry,  who,  frightened  almost  to  death, 
was  making  superhuman  efforts  to  get  on  board.  He  had 
reached  the  side  of  the  ship,  and  clutched  the  bight  of  the 
main-top-bowline,  which  was  thrown  towards  him,  when  the 
ferocious  monster,  fearing  he  was  about  to  lose  his  prey,  sud- 


HOW    TO   RAISE    A    BREEZE.  313 

denly  turned  over  on  his  side,  preparatory  to  making  a  grab 
at  the  thigh  of  the  well-fed  Yankee  sailor. 

Those  of  the  crew  who  were  looking  over  the  side,  simul 
taneously  uttered  a  fearful  shriek,  for  the  boat  was  at  that 
moment  only  rounding  the  quarter  of  the  ship,  and  the  captain 
had  not  yet  got  ready  the  harpoon.  They  gave  up  their  un 
happy  shipmate  for  lost,  when  Jack  Tompson,  who  had  been 
foremost  among  the  most  active  in  rendering  assistance,  leaped 
upon  the  gunwale,  and,  with  a  stunning  voice,  calling  out, 
"  "\Vatch,  there  !  watch  !  "  jumped  with  all  his  force  directly 
upon  the  back  of  the  shark.  The  feat  was  a  desperate  one, 
but  it  was  admirably  executed.  The  feet  of  the  chivalrous 
sailor  struck  the  man-eating  villain  fairly,  just  abaft  the 
shoulders,  slipped  aside,  although  in  different  directions,  and, 
for  a  moment  only,  Jack  Thompson  was  seen  riding  a-cheval 
on  the  back  of  the  sea-monster,  with  his  knotty  features 
lighted  up  with  a  smile,  as  if  he  thought  it  was  the  funniest 
thing  in  the  world  ! 

The  shark  thus  unkindly  interrupted  at  the  moment  he  was 
making  up  his  mouth  for  a  delicious  bite,  manifested  more 
astonishment  that  indignation.  He  turned  aside  abruptly 
from  the  tempting  morsel  before  him,  and  made  a  dash  down 
ward  through  the  water,  that  unseated  Jack  without  ceremony, 
and  left  him  floundering  about  like  a  hooked  albatross.  In 
the  lapse  of  a  few  minutes,  Jack  and  Jerry  were  both  safe 
and  sound  on  the  deck  of  the  Memphremagog. 

The  questions  now  arose  among  the  excited  crew,  "  what 
has  become  of  the  shark  ?  Can  we  not  capture  the  audacious 
scoundrel  ?  "  He  was  soon  espied  from  the  starboard  quarter, 
pirowling  about  as  unconcerned  as  a  pirate  who  has  just  made 
a  whole  ship's  company  walk  the  plank,  and  looking  as  inno 
cent  and  demure  as  a  mermaid  quietly  combing  her  long  sea- 
green  hair,  and  singing  ballads  upon  the  rocks.  The  calm 
for  the  time  was  forgotten,  and  every  man  on  board  the  ship 
" 


314  SALT   WATER    LUBBLES. 

was  bent  on  the  capture  of  the  ferocious  fish.  The  boat  was 
hoisted  up  at  the  stern,  and  preparations  were  at  once  made 
for  catching  the  common  enemy  of  sailors.  The  skipper 
called  for  a  piece  of  pork  from  the  harness-cask,  and  the 
mates  were  soon  busied  in  making  running  bowlines,  and  get 
ting  in  order  the  harpoon.  As  for  a  shark-hook,  properly  so 
called,  there  was  none  on  board. 

The  captain  cut  off  a  junk  of  pork  of  the  size  of  his  fist,  and 
threw  it  far  off  in  the  direction  of  the  shark.  The  fish  soon 
detected  the  white  and  attractive  object,  and  leisurely  moved 
towards  it,  eyed  it  with  much  interest,  smelled  of  it,  and  then 
bolted  it  with  much  apparent  gusto,  and  looked  around,  like 
poor  Oliver  Twist,  for  more.  Another  piece  lured  him 
still  nearer  the  ship's  quarter,  and  it  was  clear  that  he 
had  recovered  from  the  alarm  which  Jack's  gymnastic 
feat  had  excited  in  his  bosom.  A  running  bowline  of  stout 
rope  was  now  lowered  into  the  water,  through  which  a  piece 
of  rattlin-stuff,  with  a  big  piece  of  pork  at  the  end,  was  passed, 
and  thrown  some  fathoms  from  the  ship's  stern.  The  shark 
saw  the  tempting  tit-bit,  and  his  eyes  shone  and  his  mouth 
watered  at  the  sight.  He  made  hastily  towards  it,  and  it  was 
drawn  nearer  the  ship  as  he  advanced,  until  he  had  passed 
his  head  and  shoulders  through  the  noose,  when  the  uppe? 
part  of  the  bowline  was  dropped,  and,  by  a  dexterous  pull  of 
the  rope,  the  unsuspecting  villain  was  firmly  caught  in  a  trap, 
from  which,  in  spite  of  his  tremendous  exertions  and  convul 
sive  leaps,  he  could  not  extricate  himself.  He  was,  then,  by 
the  united  strength  of  the  ship's  company,  hauled  alongside 
in  triumph ;  and,  after  some  labor,  and,  notwithstanding  an 
obstinate  resistance  on  his  part,  was  hoisted  on  board,  when 
three  cheers  were  given  for  his  capture  ! 

But  it  was  soon  found  that  there  was  little  cause  for  exul 
tation.  The  shark  was  uncommonly  restless  on  the  deck  of 
the  Memphremagog  ;  as  uneasy  as  a  fish  out  of  water.  He 


HOW    TO   RAISE   A    BREEZE.  315 

could  not  be  made  to  lie  still ;  and,  with  his  strong  jaws  and 
sharp  teeth,  snapped  at  everything  in  his  way.  Ropes  from 
three-quarters  to  an  inch  in  diameter,  that  lay  scattered  about 
the  decks,  were  seized  upon  in  his  rage,  and  severed  as  clean 
as  if  cut  with  a  knife. 

The  cry  was  now,  "  Kill  the  rascal ! !  "  This  was  more 
easily  said  than  done,  but  a  furious  assault  was  made  upon 
the  captured  fish  by >  the  whole  ship's  company,  armed  with 
hatchets,  axes,  handspikes  and  boat-hooks,  and  dire  was  the 
noise,  and  dreadful  the  confusion  that  reigned  on  board. 
Long  and  gallantly  the  shark  fought  and  struggled  for  life; 
and  more  than  once  he  came  within  an  inch  of  grabbing  one 
of  his  enemies  by  the  heels  ;  but  it  was  not  in  the  power  of 
any  fish  to  contend  successfully  against  such  odds,  when  out 
of  his  native  element ;  and,  after  a  fierce  and  unheard-of  con 
test  of  about  twenty  minutes,  the  shark,  brained  with  the 
cook's  axe,  after  dodging  it  two  or  three  times  to  the  great 
detriment  of  the  deck  planks,  was  obliged  to  succumb.  His 
tail  was  then  decapitated,  as  Nick  Mulroony  called  it,  and 
nailed  to  the  belfry  as  a  trophy,  and  the  carcass  was  thrown 
overboard  amid  loud  rejoicings  from  the  whole  crew. 

While  these  important  events  were  transpiring,  but  little 
attention  was  given  to  the  weather ;  the  calm  for  a  time  was 
forgotten.  The  excitement,  however,  soon  passed  away,  and 
a  reaction  followed.  The  captain  again  became  brutal,  the 
maies  gruff,  and  the  men  sulky.  A  breeze  was  demanded 
more  clamorously  than  before;  but,  alas  !  the  clouds  hung 
motionless  and  heavy  about  the  horizon,  and  there  was  not 
the  slightest  indication  of  a  change.  The  night  passed  away, 
and  the  sun  rose  on  the  morning  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  ship 
remained  rolling  and  tumbling  about  on  the  ocean,  with  not  a 
breath  of  wind  to  fill  the  sails. 

After  breakfast,  Jack  Thompson,  who  had  been  thoughtfully 
looking  over  the  bow,  as  if  speculating  on  the  immense  depth 


316  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

of  the  ocean,  suddenly  turned  round,  and,  addressing  Jim 
Blaney,  a  rough,  web-footed,  veteran  man-of-war's-man,  said 
"  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  old  fellow,  this  will  never  do ;  if  this 
calm  lasts  a  day  longer,  we  shall  all  become  savages,  or  some 
thing  worse,  —  four-legged  barbarians,  for  what  I  know. 
Can't  we  contrive  some  way  to  raise  a  breeze  ?  "  "  You  tried 
it  yesterday,"  muttered  Jim',  in  a  voice  which  sounded  like  a 
cross  between  the  shriek  of  a  steam-whistle  and  the  roar  of  an 
infuriated  father  of  the  herd,  "and  I  shouldn't  think  you 
would  care  about  trying  it  again ;  "  and  he  contemptuously 
turned  away,  "  chewing  the  cud  of  sweet  and  bitter  fancy  " 
with  redoubled  industry. 

"  Never  mind,  old  Tantarabogus,"  soliloquized  Jack;  "if  I 
don't  raise  a  purchase  to  kick  up  a  breeze,  or  some  other 
shindy,  before  night,  it  won't  be  for  want  of  trying,  that ',« 
all." 

The  hours  passed  heavily  away,  as  if  borne  on  leaden 
pinions;  but  about  one  bell,  p.  M.,  while  the  men  were  still 
employed  in  bolting  their  salt  junk  and  boiled  duff,  they  were 
abruptly  roused  from  their  labors  by  the  voice  of  Captain 
Brandt,  who  imagined  he  saw  preliminary  symptoms  of  a 
breeze;  and,,  indeed,  some  dark,  suspicious-looking  clouds 
seemed  gathering  in  the  horizon.  He  kept  the  crew  at  work 
for  half  an  hour  at  least,  bracing  round  the  yards,  and  trim 
ming  the  sails ;  but  it  all  proved  in  vain,  a  mere  flash  in  the 
pan.  After  this  well-timed  and  wholesome  exercise,  without 
conjuring  up  the  ghost  of  a  wind,  they  were  dismissed,  and  all 
hands  relapsed  into  the  usual  inactivity  which  prevails  on 
ship-board  during  the  Sabbath  day  in  pleasant  weather.  The 
captain  retired  to  the  cabin,  fatigued  and  disgusted,  and, 
throwing  himself  upon  a  couple  of  sack-bottomed  chairs,  tried 
to  murder  time  by  taking  a  nap,  in  which  he  succeeded,  and 
was  soon  snoring  away  as  if  for  a  wager.  The  chief  mate 
shut  himself  up  in  his  state-room,  where  he  sweltered  in  a 


HOW    TO    RAISE   A    BREEZE.  317 

close  atmosphere  of  a  temperature  something  less  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty  degrees.  The  second  mate,  who  had  the 
watch  on  deck,  amused  himself,  seated  on  the  hen-coop,  by 
trying  to  solve  a  problem  in  navigation.  Of  the  crew,  one 
half  were  turned  in,  and  reeling  off  sleep  at  the  rate  of  ten 
knots  an  hour ;  the  other  half,  with  the  exception  of  the  man 
at  the  wheel,  were  scattered  about  the  forecastle;  some  grum 
bling  in  an  undertone,  to  themselves,  about  the  weather  and 
"  hard  usage,"  one  sewing  a  patch  on  the  elbow  of  his  pea- 
jacket,  and  another  reading  the  Bible  on  the  heel  of  the  bow 
sprit;  but  all,  excepting  Jack  Thompson,  looked  as  sour  and 
sad  as  a  sea-elephant  after  he  is  knocked  on  the  head. 
Sambo,  the  cook,  having  put  matters  and  things  "  to  rights  " 
in  his  galley,  stretched  himself  at  full  length  on  the  hot 
deck,  and  was  taking  a  pleasant  snooze,  with  his  head,  well 
cushioned  with  wool,  resting  on  a  handspike  ;  and  the  steward, 
having  collected  his  various  utensils,  tools  and  condiments, 
which  he  had  been  using  in  preparing  the  cabin  dinner,  had 
gone  aft,  and  was  busily  stowing  them  away  in  his  pantry, 
little  dreaming  of  the  ill  treatment  which  was  in  store  for 
him. 

At  this  moment,  Jack  Thompson,  who,  with  a  countenance 
beaming  with  mischief,  had  been  for  some  time  carefully 
watching  the  various  proceedings  on  deck,  stealthily  stepped 
to  the  caboose  and  abstracted  from  the  fire  a  live  coal  of 
goodly  size,  which  he  quietly  deposited  in  a  natural  nest 
among  the  wool  which  grew  in  such  luxuriance  on  Sambo's 
head.  He  then  resumed  his  place  on  the  forecastle,  lighted  a 
cigar,  and,  with  a  sedate  countenance,  began  reading  a  well- 
thumbed  edition  of  "  Dampier's  Voyages." 

In  a  few  minutes  a  thick  and  fetid  smoke  began  to  issue 

from  the  head  of  poor  Sambo.     The  unctuous  nature  of  the 

wool  rendered  it  quite  combustible,  and  the  smoke,  settling 

down  about  his  face,  tickled  his  olfactory  organs,  and  made 

27* 


318  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

him  sneeze  and  twist  up  his  features  into  a  ludicrous  expres 
sion  of  alarm. 

"  Goramity  !  "  exclaimed  Sambo,  raising  his  head.  "  What 
de  debil  to  pay  now  ?  What  ting  is  that  a-fire  ?  Something 
that  smells  drefful  bad,  any  how." 

In  the  mean  time,  the  singed  wool  was  fizzing  and  sputter 
ing  away  at  a  great  rate,  and  the  unfortunate  darkey,  rising 
upon  his  pins  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the  strange  phenom 
enon,  felt  an  uncertain  and  burning  sensation  on  the  side  of 
his  cranium,  which  soon  resolved  itself  into  a  sharp  and  ago 
nizing  pain ;  and,  instinctively  putting  up  his  hand,  he  con 
vulsively  clinched  the  crumbling  cinders  and  the  burning  coal, 
which  caused  him  to  utter  a  prolonged  howl,  which  reverber 
ated  from  the  bulwarks  and  the  poop-deck,  and  was  heard 
throughout  the  ship. 

At  this  unlucky  moment  the  steward  was  coming  forward 
towards  the  galley,  and,  seeing  the  unfortunate  condition  of 
poor  Sambo,  and  the  grotesque  contortions  of  his  countenance, 
he  could  not  refrain  from  indulging  in  a  hearty  laugh.  This 
roused  the  ire  of  "  the  doctor,"  who  owed  him  a  grudge  for 
former  insults,  and,. believing  that  he  had  discovered  the  mis 
chievous  author  of  the  joke,  he  rushed  upon  the  astonished 
steward,  exclaiming,  "  So,  nigger,  dis  is  de  way  you  play  your 
pranks  upon  a  gentleman,  is  it  ?  I  '11  teach  you  one  thing, 
and  make  you  know  better  next  time.  Smudder  me  in  my 
slush-barrel,  if  I  don't,  any  how  !  " 

So  saying,  with  the  impetus  of  a  battering-ram,  he  thrust 
his  smoking  head  against  the  brawny  bosom  of  the  steward, 
who,  uttering  a  sonorous  grunt,  staggered  backward  several 
paces,  and  fell  heavily  upon  the  deck.  This  assault  upon  the 
steward,  and  its  decisive  result,  was  witnessed  by  Jim 
Blaney,  whose  attention,  as  well  as  that  of  all  hands,  was 
now  directed  to  these  operations  on  the  part  of  the  bellig 
erent  parties ;  and  Jim,  who  owed  the  steward  a  debt  of 


HOW    TO    RAISE    A    BREEZE. 


319 


gratitude,  for  occasional  favors  in  the  shape  of  cabin  deli 
cacies,  was  irresistibly  prompted  to  take  the  part  of  that  func 
tionary.  He  sprang  towards  the  indignant  but  victorious 
cook,  crying,  "  What  are  you  about  there,  you  rascal  ?  "  and 
gave  him  "  a  louuder  "  on  the  side  of  his  head,  which  few  men 
of  the  Caucasian  race  could  have  withstood,  but  which  only 
caused  Sambo  to  show  his  ivories  in  a  grin  of  defiance,  and 
shake  his  head  half  a  dozen  times,  as  if  to  restore  its  equili 
brium.  He  was  not  backward  in  returning  the  compliment, 
and  hit  Jim  a  severe  blow  over  the  left  eye,  which  caused 
that  organ  to  be  surrounded  immediately  by  a  magic  ring,  or 
dark  halo,  which  increased  rather  than  diminished  the  pictu 
resque  grimness  of  his  countenance.  The  steward  had  now 
recovered  his  senses,  and  came  quickly  to  the  rescue.  He  at 
tacked  "the  doctor."  in  the  most  savage,  scientific  style,  who 
would  soon  have  been  badly  beaten  and  vanquished  by 
superior  numbers,  had  not  Jack  Thompson,  with  the  chivalry 
characteristic  of  that  mischievous  tar,  seized  a  deck-swab,  and 
put  a  speedy  end  to  the  pugilistic  exertions  of  the  steward,  by 
drawing  it  somewhat  roughly  across  his  face  and  eyes. 
Others  of  the  crew  hastened  to  the  scene  of  combat,  and, 
without  inquiring  particularly  into  the  cause  or  nature  of  the 
row,  gladly  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  giving 
free  indulgence  to  their  pugnacious  propensities,  which  had 
been  growing  stronger  and  stronger  since  the  commencement 
of  the  calm.  With  yells  of  rage  and  delight,  they  thrust 
themselves  into  the  thickest  of  the  affray,  and,  like  pugilistic 
demons,  let  loose  from  Pandemonium,  squared  away  at  each 
other,  right  and  left ;  and,  for  about  five  minutes,  there  was 
as  furious  a  combat,  and  as  pretty  a  scene  of  confusion  on 
the  decks  of  the  Memphreniagog,  as  one  would  wish  to  behold 
on  a  summer's  day,  and  that  day  the  Sabbath ! 

The  mates,  hearing  the  disturbance,  hastened  to  the  scene 
of  action,  with  the  laudable  desire  of  quelling  the  fury  of  the 


320  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

combatants,  and  keeping  the  peace.  But  it  would  have  been 
better  for  them  if  they  had  kept  quiet,  and  minded  their  own 
business ;  for,  in  the  midst  of  this  terrible  hurly-burly,  their 
official  characters  were  not  recognized  by  the  combatants,  and 
they  were  regarded  only  as  good  and  substantial  objects  for 
receiving  sturdy  blows  and  hard  knocks  ;  and,  although  they 
dealt  about  them  lustily  in  return,  and  shouted  furiously  in 
behalf  of  peace  and  order,  they  soon  found  themselves  in  a 
sorry  plight. 

And  now  the  captain,  hearing  the  tumult,  which  awakened 
him  from  his  nap,  and  supposing  that  a  breeze  had  come  at 
lasi,  bounced  on  deck ;  and  his  astonishment  and  anger  may 
be  imagined,  when  he  beheld  the  whole  ship's  company,  in 
cluding  the  cook,  steward,  and  both  the  officers,  engaged  in  a 
terrible  battle  on  the  main  deck,  and,  covered  with  blood 
and  foaming  with  rage,  giving  and  receiving  blows,  and  hit 
ting  away  at  each  other  indiscriminately,  howling  and  shout 
ing  like  so  many  fiends  !  Captain  Brandt  gazed  for  a  moment 
on  this  tumultuous  scene.  A  look  of  savage  delight  lighted 
up  his  weather-beaten  countenance.  His  organ  of  combative- 
ness  had  been  screwed  up  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  now  an 
object  was  presented  on  which  he  could  direct  all  its  pent-up 
energies.  He  grasped  a  heaver  in  his  hand,  and  threw  him 
self  into  the  midst  of  the  combatants  ! 

I  have  already  said  that  Captain  Brandt  was  a  tall  and 
powerful  man,  and  by  this  time  some  of  the  crew  had  become 
exhausted  by  the  violence  of  their  exertions,  and  two  were 
stretched  along  the  deck,  fully  satisfied  with  the  treatment 
they  had  received.  The  captain,  therefore,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  few  sly  knocks  which  he  received  from  unknown 
quarters,  had  it  pretty  much  all  his  own  way.  He  soon,  by 
the  aid  of  his  heaver,  tumbled  three  or  four  of  them  on  all- 
fours,  among  whom  was  the  second  mate,  who  was  hit  by  mis 
take  in  the  confusion,  and  the  rest  of  the  crew  were  soon 


HOW    TO    RAISE   A    BREEZE. 


321 


scattered   in   different    directions.     The    cook,  whose   unjust 
assault  upon  the  steward  had  caused  the  affray,  had,  some  time 


before,  while  the  others  were  together  by  the  ears,  wisely 
withdrawn  himself  from  the  contest,  and  retired  within  his 
galley,  and  closed  the  doors. 

Fatigued  and  heated  with  his  exertions,  the  captain  stood, 
with  his  bosom  panting,  leaning  against  the  gunwale,  victor  in 
the  combat,  and  master  of  the  battle-field,  when,  as  he  turned 
his  head  towards  the  east,  he  felt  a  refreshing  puff  of  air,  full 
in  his  face  !  He  recognized  it  as  the  joyfuj  symptom  of  a 
breeze !  He  looked  up,  and  all  his  unexpended  energies, 
which  had  so  lately  been  called  into  action,  were  pointed  in 
another  direction.  While  the  storm  raged  on  the  decks  of 
the  Memphremagog,  a  storm  of  a  different  character  had  been 


322  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

brewing  in  another  quarter.  The  clouds,  whicl?  had  been 
hovering  above  the  horizon  during  the  day,  had  suddenly  col 
lected  together  in  a  dense  and  dark  mass,  had  r'sen  rapidly, 
and  a  terrific  squall  was  about  to  burst  upon  the  ship  ! 

Captain  Brandt  sprang  upon  the  quarter-deck,  and  in  a 
voice,  loud,  animated,  and  distinct,  which  rang  through  the 
ship  like  the  notes  of  a  clarion,  and  awakened  in  the  bosom 
of  every  man  a  sense  of  his  duty,  he  shouted,  "  All  hands 
muster  on  deck  at  once  !  Here  's  a  heavy  squall  coming. 
Clue  up  the  top-gallant  sails  !  Lower  away  the  spanker  ! 
Rise  the  fore-tack  there,  some  of  you,  and  stand  by  to  square 
away  the  yards !  See  the  topsuil-halliards  all  clear  !  and 
stand  by  to  clue  the  yards  down  on  the  cap  !  Let  go  the 
halliards,  fore  and  aft,  —  clue  down,  —  clue  down!  Hard 
a-port  your  helm  !  Square  away  the  yards  !  Mind  your 
helm,  now,  Jack,  and  steer  steady, — just  as  she  goes,  with 
the  wind  right  aft !  Hurrah  !  we  have  got  a  wind  at  last !  " 

The  rain  fell,  the  wind  blew,  and  the  sea  rose,  but  nobly 
the  good  ship  dashed  along  over  the  water,  like  a  courser  just 
loosened  from  his  tether.  All  hands  participated  in  the  exul 
tation  of  the  skipper,  and,  in  their  rejoicings  at  a  change  of 
weather,  forgot  their  late  quarrels,  and  the  many  hard  knocks 
they  had  so  lately  given  and  received.  As  for  Jack  Thomp 
son,  as  he  stood  laboring  at  the  wheel,  while  the  ship  bowled 
along,  some  eight  or  nine  knots,  to  the  southward,  he  met  the 
exulting  glance  of  the  captain,  as  he  walked  aft,  with  an  arch 
leer  from  one  of  his  bunged-up  eyes,  and  exclaimed,  in  a  sub 
dued  but  triumphant  voice,  "  I  KNOW'D,  SIR,  I  COULD  RAISE  A 

BREEZE !  " 


AVALTER   GRAFTOX, 

THE     IMPRESSED     AMERICAN 

"  Flag  of  the  Seas  !  on  ocean  -wave 
Thy  stars  shall  glitter  o'er  the  brave  ; 
Each  dying  wanderer  of  the  sea 
Shall  look  at  once  to  heaven  and  thee, 
And  smile  to  see  thy  splendors  fly 
In  triumph  o'er  his  closing  eye  ! 


£  NUMBER  of  years  since,  a  travel? 
^apparently  old  and  infirm,  early  one  morn 
ing  in  summer,  with  slow  and  tottering  steps, 
ascended   the    summit  of  a  hill  which   com 
manded  a  view  of  a  beautiful  village  situated 
in  the  valley  beneath,  on  the  bank  of  one  of  those  clear  and 
swift-rushing  streams  which  are  so  frequently  seen  in  New 


324  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

England,  fertilizing  the  soil,  arid  giving  a  romantic  beauty  to 
the  landscape. 

He  \vus  a  man  of  a  sinewy  frame,  but  care  or  disease  had 
laid  upon  it  a  heavy  hand,  and  the  flesh  had  withered  beneath 
the  touch.  His  cheeks  were  thin,  haggard,  and  bronzed  by 
exposure  for  years  to  the  rays  of  a  tropical  sun.  His  locks 
were  thin  and  gray,  and  hung  in  straggling  masses  upon  his 
shoulders  ;  and  his  hazel  eyes,  keen  and  restless,  as  they  sur 
veyed  the  wide  amphitheatre  beneath  him,  assumed  a  wild  and 
mournful  expression. 

That  man,  after  an  absence  in  foreign  climes  of  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century,  had  returned  to  the  spot  which  gave 
him  birth.  He  was  not  old  in  years,  but  exposure,  hardships, 
sorrow,  oppression,  and  disease,  had  broken  his  spirits,  de 
stroyed  his  vigorous  constitution,  and  brought  on  premature 
old  age.  When  he  left  his  native  home,  his  friends  and  his 
kindred,  he  was  a  noble  specimen  of  manhood.  He  returned, 
no  longer  a  man,  but  a  wreck  of  humanity  ! 

Walter  Grafton  was  a  New  England  sailor,  and,  ere  mis 
fortune  had  palsied  his  frame,  and  chilled  his  heart  with  her 
spells,  he  was  brave,  generous,  and  noble-hearted,  with  buoy 
ant  spirits,  and  an  ingenuousness  of  disposition,  which  secured 
him  the  kind  wishes  of  all  who  knew  him.  He  was  about 
twenty-two  years  'of  age  when  he  left  the  pleasant  village  of 
Follingsburg,  after  a  visit  of  a  few  weeks,  with  a  light  heart ; 
for  he  had  but  just  entered  on  the  threshold  of  manhood, 
and  Hope,  with  her  magic  but  deceiving  glass,  showed  him 
his  pathway  strewed  with  gay  and  fragrant  flowers.  He  left 
behind  him  dear  friends ;  among  them  was  one  fair  being, 
who  had  promised  to  share  his  lot  through  life,  be  it  weal  or 
woe.  And,  as  the  stage-coach  in  which  he  was  seated  slowly 
ascended  the  rising  ground  that  overlooked  the  village,  he 
felt  proud  of  his  health,  of  his  vigorous  frame,  of  his  native 
energy,  and  implicitly  believed  that  he  could  successfully 


WALTER    GRAFTON.  325 

carve  out  his  own  fortune,  and  to  a  very  considerable  extent 
shape  his  own  destiny. 

He  sailed  from  Boston  as  second  mate  of  the  brig  Volant, 
bound  on  a  voyage  to  Antigua.  He  was  a  faithful  officer  ;  he 
loved ;  his  profession,  and  hoped  soon  to  be  promoted  to  the 
highest  step.  But,  during  a  severe  hurricane,  the  Volant  was 
wrecked  on  the  low  island  of  Barbuda,  and  only  Walter  and 
two  of  his  shipmates  were  saved.  The  kind  inhabitants  of  the 
island  relieved  the  immediate  wants  of  the  shipwrecked  mari 
ners,  and  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  an  opportunity  offered 
of  proceeding  to  St.  Bartholomews,  in  a  Swedish  drogher,  from 
which  place  he  hoped  to  procure  without  difficulty  a  passage 
to  America.  But  the  drogher  had  hardly  cleared  the  harbor, 
when  she  was  fallen  in  with  by  the  British  sloop  of  war  Ring 
dove,  of  eighteen  guns ;  and  the  eyes  of  the  boarding-officers 
§parkled  with  joy  when  they  beheld,  among  the  passengers, 
Walter  Grafton  and  his  two  shipmates,  all  fine-looking  Amer 
ican  seamen,  and  without  protections.  Walter  told  his  story, 
and  the  Englishmen  knew  that  he  spoke  the  truth.  They 
were  convinced  by  his  statements  that  those  men  were  Amer 
ican  seamen,  victims  of  misfortune.  They  were  aware  that 
their  duty,  as  honest  men  and  Christians,  required  them  to 
relieve  their  wants,  so  far  as  it  might  be  in  their  power,  and 
aid  them  in  returning  to  their  own  country.  But  the  British 
navy  wanted  men ;  and,  in  those  days,  the  British  officers 
were  too  often  unscrupulous  with  regard  to  the  means  by 
which  seamen  were  procured.  Walter  Grafton  and  his  com 
panions  were  declared  to  be  Englishmen,  and  sternly  ordered 
into  the  boat.  They  were  impressed  on  board  an  English 
man-of-war ! 

This  was  a  terrible  disappointment  to  the  hopes  of  the 

young  American.      The  airy  palaces  which  his  imagination 

had  erected,  began  to  fall  to  the  ground ;  for  he  had  always 

regarded  as  one  of  life's  severest  ills,  the  fate  of  the  poor 

28 


326  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

sailor  on  board  of  a  British  man-of-war ;  and  he  found  the 
reality  far  worse  than  the  ideal  picture.  He  resolved,  how 
ever,  to  escape  from  his  floating  prison,  if  any  opportunity 
should  offer;  and  one  dark  night,  as  the  Ringdove  was  at 
anchor  off  the  harbor  of  St.  George's,  in  Grenada,  he  quietly 
let  himself  down  into  the  water,  with  a  view  to  swim  to  the 
shore,  a  distance  of  about  half  a  mile.  But  he  was  seen  by  a 
marine  on  duty,  who  fired  at  him,  and  lodged  a  ball  in  his 
shoulder.  A  cutter  was  instantly  manned,  a  blue-light  shown, 
and  Grafton  was  discovered,  and  brought  on  board,  bleeding, 
and  deeply  mortified  at  the  failure  of  his  attempt  to  escape. 
In  order  to  set  a  wholesome  example  before  the  crew  of  the 
Ringdove,  and  deter  others  from  making  a  similar  attempt,  he 
was  tied  up  to  the  gangway,  a  few  days  afterwards,  by  order 
of  the  captain,  and,  in  presence  of  the  whole  ship's  company, 
jive  dozen  lashes  were  inflicted  upon  the  bare  back  of  this 
young  American  sailor ! 

Grafton  was  subsequently  drafted  into  a  frigate,  soon  after 
which  war  was  declared  between  England  and  the  United 
States ;  but  his  repeated  representations  that  he  was  an  Amer 
ican  citizen  were  unheeded  or  scoffed  at  by  his  officers  !  On 
one  occasion,  a  ship,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  waving  at  her 
peak,  hove  in  sight,  and  preparations  were  made  for  an  obsti 
nate  engagement.  Walter  resolutely  persisted  in  a  determi 
nation  to  take  no  part  in  the  battle.  He  declared  that  noth 
ing  should  induce  him  to  fight  against  his  countrymen ;  and 
for  adopting  this  noble  and  patriotic  course,  which  should 
have  elicited  the  praise  and  admiration  of  brave  and  honora 
ble  men,  he  was  again  inhumanly  scourged  ! 

The  frigate  was  ordered  to  England,  to  the  great  satisfac 
tion  of  Grafton,  who  confidently  relied  on  receiving  justice, 
and  being  liberated,  whenever  he  should  reach  a  British  port; 
and  hope  began  to  revisit  his  bosom.  But  this  poor,  friend 
less  von ris:  man  found  that  his  statements  were  as  much  disre- 


WALTER    GRAFTON.  327 

garded  or  ridiculed  at  Plymouth,  as  in  an  obscure  port  in  the 
West  Indies,  or  on  the  high  seas.  And  while  the  officers  of 
the  ship  were  absent  on  furlough  or  on  leave,  and  could  par 
take  of  amusements  on  shore,  or  visit  their  friends  at  home, 
this  hapless  foreigner  was  compelled  to  remain  in  that  worst 
of  prisons,  a  British  man-of-war,  with  no  prospect  of  libera 
tion,  excepting  by  the  hand  of  death. 

In  a  few  weeks,  Grafton  was  drafted  into  another  frigate, 
which  was  fitting  away  for  the  Indian  Ocean  and  the  Pacific, 
and  compelled,  against  his  will,  to  embark,  and  assist  in  main 
taining  abroad  the  glory  of  the  British  name.  Thus  the  bright 
sky,  which  cheered  his  soul  in  the  morning  of  life,  was  ob 
scured  with  dark  and  gloomy  clouds.  He  proved  to  his  sor 
row  that  his  destiny  was  shaped  by  a  mighty  and  unseen  Power, 
and  that  dark,  and  inscrutable  by  mortals,  are  the  works  of 
divine  Providence. 

And  for  years  he  submitted  to  his  fate,  and  endured  all  the 
privations,  the  cruelties,  the  hardships,  the  injustice,  which,  in 
those  days,  were  the  lot  of  the  unfortunate  men  who  fought 
the  battles  of  Great  Britain  on  the  seas,  and  sustained  the 
honor  of  the  British  flag.  His  whole  character,  as  well  as 
his  person,  became  materially  changed.  Hope  and  ambition 
no  longer  nerved  his  arm,  or  excited  his  energies  to  action. 
His  proud  spirit  was  subdued,  and,  despairing  of  any  favorable 
change  of  fortune,  he  became  reckless  even  of  existence.  HOME, 
a  word  around  which  cluster  associations  of  the  most  blissful, 
pure  and  holy  character,  in  the  minds  of  the  great  mass  of 
mankind,  seemed  to  Walter  Grafton  only  the  faint  shadowing 
or'  a  dream,  —  a  happy  vision  of  the  past,  which  he  felt  could 
never  be  realized,  —  a  mockery  ! 

But  he  lived  on  ;  he  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life.  His 
shipmates  fell  beside  him  in  battle,  or  were  swept  away  by 
the  hand  of  disease,  and  their  places  were  supplied  by  other 
unfortunate  men,  without  regard  to  country,  or  the  flag  under 


328  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

which  they  sailed.  It  was  sufficient  that  a  British  man-of-war 
wanted  seamen,  and,  whenever  they  were  met  with  in  those 
seas,  no  questions  were  asked,  no  protestations  or  entreaties 
were  listened  to  ;  they  were  ruthlessly  seized,  whether  Dane, 
Swede,  Dutchman  or  Yankee,  and  compelled  to  submit  to  per 
petual  and  barbarous  slavery  in  the  service  of  the  king  of 
Great  Britain ! 

But  Grafton  still  loved  his  country,  and  revered  her  free 
institutions,  and  he  would  have  given  worlds  to  have  stood  on 
the  deck  of  an  American  ship,  battling  with  all  his  energies 
against  the  naval  forces  of  Great  Britain.  From  the  bottom 
of  his  heart  he  detested  that  power  which  had  torn  him  from 
his  friends,  and  dashed  to  the  earth  the  cup  of  joy,  even  while 
hope  was  holding  it  to  his  lips. 

Grafton  was  finally  transferred  to  a  small  brig  of  war,  sent 
on  a  dangerous  exploring  expedition  to  the  Caroline  Islands. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  months  the  brig  was  wrecked  upon  a 
coral  reef,  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  crew  perished  before 
they  could  reach  the  shore.  Walter  and  a  few  of  his  ship 
mates  survived  the  disaster,  but  were  treated  with  great 
cruelty  by  the  natives ;  and  all,  himself  excepted,  in  a  short 
time  sank  under  the  tortures  which  were  inflicted  by  the 
savages,  with  a  view  of  testing  their  courage  and  fortitude. 
Grafton  passed  the  ordeal,  was  created  a  chief,  and  treated 
with  favor. 

He  passed  several  years  on  the  island,  enduring  a  miserable 
existence,  and  without  partaking  of  any  of  the  enjoyments  of 
life,  when,  to  his  delight,  a  small  vessel  appeared  in  the 
offing,  with  the  American  flag  flying  at  her  mast-head.  It 
was  a  schooner  from  a  New  England  port,  seeking  for  beche- 
le-mer  and  pearl  oysters.  A  thrill  of  delight  passed  through 
his  frame'  as  he  beheld  the  vessel,  and  he  secretly  resolved  to 
escape  from  the  island,  or  perish  in  the  attempt. 

When  night  spread  her  veil  over  the  surrounding  objects, 


WALTER    GRAFTON.  329 

Walter  Graiton  stealthily  left  his  wigwam,  and  hastened  to 
the  beach.  In  a  few  minutes  he  had  launched  a  canoe,  and, 
with  all  the  strength  and  skill  which  he  possessed,  he  was 
paddling  from  the  shore  in  the  direction  of  the  schooner.  But 
he  was  watcljed ;  the  alarm  was  given,  and  he  was  pursued  by 
the  indignant  savages.  He  heard  their  yells  of  vengeance  as 
they  rapidly  drew  near,  and,  with  all  the  energy  of  despair, 
he  redoubled  his  exertions.  At  length  he  saw  the  schooner 
through  the  gloom.  He  hailed  her,  and,  in  good  English, 
implored  succor.  The  captain  understood  the  case  immedi 
ately,  and  promptly  determined  to  aid  the  fugitive.  He  fired 
a  shot  at  the  fleet  of  canoes,  which  induced  them  to  abandon 
the  chase  ;  but  not  before  one  of  the  savages,  a  chief  of  giant 
size  and  vigorous  arm,  had  launched  a  spear  at  the  unfortu 
nate  Grafton,  which  pierced  his  thigh,  and  crippled  him  for 
life.  The  next  moment  Walter  was  on  board  the  American 
vessel,  and  welcomed  with  kindness  and  cordiality  by  the 
noble-hearted  commander. 

His  wish  was  now  to  return  to  his  native  country.  He 
longed  to  behold  again  the  hills  and  vales  of  New  England, 
and  to  repose  after  death  in  the  land  of  his  fathers.  But 
although  he  rejoiced  to  find  himself  on  board  an  American 
vessel,  he  was  still  far  distant  from  his  home,  and  was  reluc 
tantly  compelled  to  visit  many  places,  traverse  manv 
and  suffer  various  hardships,  before  he  again  planted  his  foot 
on  the  American  soil.  He  also  saw,  more  than  once,  proudly 
streaming  to  the  breeze,  the  red-cross  flag  of  Great  Britain. 
And  while  he  gazed  upon  it,  his  eye  would  kindle  with  frenzy, 
his  whole  frame  tremble  with  passion,  and,  amid  the  incohe 
rent  ravings  of  a  madman,  he  would  mutter  curses  upon  the 
nation,  which,  to  extend  her  national  glory,  would  violate  ail 
the  principles  of  honor  and  justice,  and  enslave  and  torture 
the  free  and  the  brave  of  other  countries,  who  owed  no  alle 
giance  to  the  would-be  mistress  of  the  seas  ! 


330  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

When  this  sad  victim  of  British  oppression  landed  on  the 
wharf  in  Boston,  he  was  rapidly  sinking  into  the  grave.  He 
was  but  fifty  years  of  age,  yet  life's  candle  was  already  burnt 
to  the  socket ;  and  his  stooping  figure,  his  wrinkled  features, 
and  hoary  locks,  seemed  to  say  that  he  had  passed  more  years 
than  are  usually  allotted  to  man.  He  was  a  stranger  in  his 
native  land  —  a  cripple  —  without  money,  without  friends, 
without  health ! 

He  did  not  tarry  in  the  nourishing  city,  for  he  felt  that  he 
had  no  time  to  lose,  but  immediately  commenced  his  journey 
on  foot  to  the  spot  which,  twenty-five  years  before,  he  had  left 
in  joyous  spirits,  exulting  in  the  possession  of  a  vigorous  con 
stitution  and  manly  qualities,  that  he  was  confident  would 
soon  place  him  at  the  head  of  his  profession,  and  secure  him 
the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  wise  and  the  good. 

In  such  guise,  and  under  such  circumstances,  did  Walter 
Grafton  return  to  his  native  village. 

He  stood  upon  the  summit  of  the  hill,  and  gazed  upon  the 
scenes  around  him.  He  beheld  the  same  beautiful  stream, 
and  the  same  secluded  valley,  in  which  the  hamlet  where  he 
was  born  was  located ;  but  most  of  the  prominent  features  of 
the  landscape,  indelibly  stamped  upon  his  memory,  were  no 
longer  there.  The  old  church,  with  its  lofty  spire,  like  an 
inverted  tunnel,  which  he  had  often  gazed  upon  with  reveren 
tial  awe,  and  beneath  whose  spacious  roof  he  had  often  listened 
to  the  precepts  of  the  man  of  God,  had  been  taken  away,  a,nd 
its  place  was  supplied  by  several  edifices  of  inferior  dimen 
sions,  and  modern  style.  The  school-house,  of  wood,  where 
he  passed  many  of  the  happiest  days  of  his  life,  and  eagerly 
drank  in  the  seeds  of  knowledge,  was  removed  from  its  ro 
mantic  site  by  the  banks  of  the  limpid  stream,  and  several 
unsightly  and  shapeless  "  cotton  factories  "  covered  and  sur 
rounded  the  spot.  The  stately  elm-trees,  which  constituted 
one  of  the  proudest  ornaments  of  the  village,  and  which  were 


WALTER    GRAFTON.  331 

formerly  religiously  treasured  and  cherished  by  the  worthy 
inhabitants,  had  fallen  beneath  the  axe  of  the  spoiler,  a  vic 
tim  to  the  march  of  improvement ;  —  even  the  unpretending 
hamlet,  with  its  old-fashioned  mansions,  its  common,  its  green 
lanes,  lined  with  umbrageous  forest  trees,  had  disappeared, 
and  in  its  stead  had  arisen,  as  if  by  magic,  a  flourishing  man 
ufacturing  town,  with  its  straight  streets,  its  numerous  stores 
and  taverns,  and  its  comfortless  brick  dwellings ;  and  the 
village  burial-ground,  the  last  resting-place  of  the  inhabit 
ants,  where  in  early  youth  he  had  seen  the  remains  of  a  be 
loved  and  indulgent  mother  deposited,  and  where  he  had 
passed  many  mournful,  but  delicious  hours,  reclining  on  the 
green  and  flowery  turf  which  covered  her  grave,  had  not  been 
spared.  The  sacred  spot  was  covered  with  a  range  of  three- 
story  granite  stores. 

The  heart  of  the  wanderer  sank  within  him  at  the  sight.  He 
looked  for  his  HOME,  but  he  saw  it  not.  He  could  not  even  find 
the  graves  of  his  fathers.  He  turned  away  in  the  bitterness 
of  his  disappointment,  and  sobbed  like  a  child  ! 

His  attention  was  soon  attracted  by  the  shouts  of  some 
young  men  and  boys,  who  ascended  the  hill,  bearing  a  long 
pole  ;  and  who,  by  their  smiling  countenances,  were  evidently 
about  to  undertake  some  interesting  task.  They  beheld  the 
old  man,  with  tears  upon  his  cheeks,  leaning  against  a  rough 
mass  of  granite,  and  their  sympathy,  "as  well  as  their  curiosity, 
was  excited.  One  of  the  number,  a  fine-looking  youth,  about 
twenty  years  old,  respectfully  approached  him ;  and  while  his 
companions  proceeded  in  their  work,  in  kind  accents  he  inquired 
of  the  forlorn  stranger  the  cause  of  his  grief. 

The  old  man  made  no  direct  reply  to  the  question,  but  in 
eager  and  tremulous  accents,  said,  "Tell  me,  O  tell  me,  young 
man,  if  any  persons  reside  in  yonder  town,  by  the  name  of 
Grafton  ? " 

"  Xo,"  replied  the  youth;  "the  last  person  of  that  name 


332  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

who  resided  in  Follingsburg,  was  Walter  Grafton,  who,  with 
his  wife  and  children,  left  this  part  of  the  country,  to  settle 
in  Illinois,  about  five  years  ago.  But  why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

A  deep  groan  was  the  only  reply  to  this  question.  The 
old  man  pressed  his  hand  firmly  to  his  brow,  as  if  he  wished 
to  suppress  the  strong  emotion  which  shook  his  soul.  In  a 
few  moments,  he  again  asked,  in  a  hesitating  and  subdued 
tone  of  voice,  as  if  he  feared  the  tenor  of  the  reply,  "  Can  you 
tell  me  if  you  ever  heard  the  name  of  such  a  person  in  this 
village  as  Helen  Stockton  ?  " 

"  Helen  Stockton  !  "  exclaimed  the  youth,  with  unequivocal 
marks  of  surprise.  "  Helen  Stockton  !  To  be  sure  I  have. 
Helen  Stockton  was  the  name  of  my  mother  !  " 

The  burning  hectic  which  had  flushed  the  wan,  and  hag 
gard,  and  scarred  cheeks  of  the  stranger,  now  gave  place  to  a 
ghastly  pallor.  At  this  moment  his  attention  was  attracted 
by  some  loud  huzzas  from  the  party  who,  for  some  moments, 
had  been  busily  at  work  but  a  few  rods  off.  He  looked  up, 
and  saw  that  they  had  planted  a  flag-staff,  from  which  de 
pended,  in  graceful  folds,  the  beautiful  American  ensign. 
"  What  is  the  meaning  of  this  ? "  said  he  to  the  young  man, 
who  still  lingered  near  him,  actuated  partly  by  curiosity,  and 
partly  by  a  better  feeling. 

"  This,"  said  the  young  man,  in  a  triumphant  voice,  while 
his  eyes  sparkled  with  the  fires  of  patriotism,  "  this  is  the 
FOURTH  or  JULY,  —  THE  BIRTH-DAY  OF  AMERICAN  INDEPEN 
DENCE  !  HURRAH  !  " 

The  old  sailor  with  difficulty  raised  himself  from  his  reclin 
ing  posture,  and  limped  towards  the  flag-staff.  He  fixed  an 
intense  gaze  on  the  stars  and  stripes  which  floated  above  him, 
the  emblem  of  FREEDOM  and  of  UNION,  —  the  rallying-poirit 
of  the  friends  to  the  RIGHTS  OF  MAN  in  every  part  of  the 
globe.  He  took  the  old  tarpaulin  hat  from  his  head,  and 
summoned  back  for  a  moment  his  departing  energies.  Three 


WALTER   GRAFTON.  333 

times  he  waved  that  hat  high  above  his  head,  and  three  times, 
with  a  voice  as  clear,  as  loud,  and  as  startling  as  the^tone  of 
a  trumpet,  he  shouted  Hurrah  !  HURRAH  !  HURRAH  ! 

The  dying  sailor  sank  exhausted  on  the  ground,  at  the  foot 
of  the  flag-staff.  The  young  men  on  the  hill,  astonished  at 
his  enthusiasm,  hastened  to  his  assistance ;  but  it  was  not 
needed,  —  the  spirit  had  departed.  And  thus,  on  the  green 
hill  overlooking  his  native  valley,  —  a  stranger,  destitute, 
crippled,  and  forlorn,  —  perished  the  hapless  victim  of  BRIT 
ISH  IMPRESSMENT  ! 

The  tale  of  Walter  Grafton  is  not  a  mere  sketch  of  the 
imagination.  It  is  only  one  of  many  cases  of  wrong  and 
oppression  which  grew  out  of  the  practice  of  impressment,  and 
are  calculated  to  excite  the  sympathy  and  rouse  the  indigna 
tion  of  every  honest  heart.  But  let  us  rejoice  that  such 
times  have  passed  away.  The  impressment  of  seamen  is  no 
longer  authorized  in  the  English  navy.  It  was  a  vile  and 
barbarous  custom,  even  when  the  victims  were  British  sub 
jects  ;  but  when  men  belonging  to  other  nations  are  ruthlessly 
kidnapped,  or  forcibly  dragged  from  their  homes  upon  the 
deep,  and  compelled  to  serve  on  board  a  British  man-of-war, 
the  outrage  is  of  a  nature  so  horrible,  so  contrary  to  all  the 
recognized  principles  of  honor  and  justice,  that  the  whole  civ 
ilized  world  should  rise  up  en  masse,  and  exclaim  against  it. 

"We  do  not  believe  that  the*  British  government  will  ever 
again  dare  to  resort  to  this  mode  of  manning  their  ships  dur 
ing  a  time  of  war.  The  subject  was  agitated  during  the 
Ashburton  treaty  with  Great  Britain,  and  the  letter  of  Daniel 
Webster,  upon  the  subject  of  impressment,  is  one  of  the  ablest 
documents  which  ever  came  from  his  hands.  It  does  honor 
to  his  head  and  to  his  heart,  and  the  American  sailor  owes  a 
debt  of  gratitude  to  that  enlightened  statesman,  who,  in  bold 
and  decided  language,  proclaimed  to  the  world  that  the  Amer 
ican  flag  shall  protect  the  American  seaman ! 


CUTTING  OUT  WORK  FOR  ALL  HANDS! 

Honestus.    I  like  her  well.     She  is  a  goodly  ship  ! 
Does  she  sail  fast,  my  lad  1 

Jack,    Our  Captain  does,  —  and  very  fast  indeed, 
When  all  his  brandy  is  aboard  ! 

OLD  PLAY. 

IT  was  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  good  ship  "  Will- 
o'-the  Wisp,"  bound  from  Boston  to  Amsterdam,  was  rushing 
rapidly  through  the  water,  towards  her  destined  port.  The 
wind  was  a  couple  of  points  abaft  the  beam,  from  about  north- 
north-west,  and  it  blew  a  strong  breeze.  The  royals,  flying- 
jib,  and  mizzen  and  fore  top-gallant  sails  were  furled,  the 
weather  clue  of  the  mainsail  was  hauled  up,  and  as  the  stanch 
ship  dashed  through  the  water,  deeply  laden  as  she  was,  her 
timbers  and  bulk-heads  croaked  and  sung  like  mutinous  frogs 
in  a  pond,  the  water  under  her  bows  roared  like  the  Norway 
maelstrom,  and  she  left  a  wake  behind  her,  as  broad,  as 
foamy,  and  as  crooked,  as  that  of  a  huge  Dutch  galliot.  A  fair- 
weather  sea  would,  now  and  then,  when  she  broached  a  little 
to  of  *her  course,  gently  come  over  the  weather-bulwarks,  and 
electrify  those  of  the  watch  who  happened  to  be  in  the  way ; 
and,  while  the  helmsman  labored  at  the  wheel,  exerting  all 
his  strength  and  all  his  skill,  the  chief  mate,  Mr.  Halloway, 
kept  one  eye  on  the  sails  and  spars  aloft,  and  the  other  to 
windward,  watching  the  appearance  of  the  clouds  ;  while  the 
watch  on  deck  were  speculating  on  the  probability  of  having 
soon  to  take  a  double  reef  in  the  topsails. 

At  this  interesting  moment,  Captain   Cornelius  Grampus 


CUTTING    OUT    WORK    FOR    ALL    HANDS.  335 

made  his  appearance  on  deck.  Captain  Grampus  was  a  man 
who,  although  he  commanded  a  temperance  ship,  was  never  a 
member  of  a  temperance  society.  He  adopted  the  principle 
that  temperance  was  a  good  thing  for  those  who  could  not 
keep  sober,  and  he  carefully  obeyed  the  orders  of  his  worthy 
owners,  in  excluding  all  kinds  of  liquors  from  the  forecastle, 
and  had  even  often  been  heard  in  port  haranguing*  his  crew 
on  the  folly  and  impropriety  of  getting  drunk.  But,  as  he 
always  knew  when  he  had  enough,  and,  as  he  said  he  never 
got  drunk  himself,  he  considered  it  unnecessary  to  pledge 
himself  to  temperance,  or  even  to  abstain  from  the  free  use 
of  intoxicating  drinks,  either  at  sea  or  on  shore. 

Captain  Cornelius  Grampus  came  on  the  deck  of  the  Will- 
o'-the-Wisp.  He  was  a  plethoric-looking  man,  of  rather  short 
stature,  with  a  face  as  round  and  as  full  as  a  Thanksgiving 
pumpkin,  and  with  a  complexion  as  ruddy  as  the  gills  of  the 
noisy  monarch  of  the  barn-yard.  Indeed,  with  his  huge  eyes, 
apparently  starting  from  his  head,  his  peculiar  and  ungainly 
figure,  his  sprawling  nippers,  and  his  inflamed  visage,  he 
forcibly  reminded  one  of  a  lobster,  after  he  had  been  immersed 
in  the  boiling-pot. 

Captain  Cornelius  Grampus  came  on  deck.  He  looked 
aloft,  and  his  eyes  seemed  lighted  up  with  anger.  He  cast  a 
savage  glance  at  his  mate,  as  if  he  wished  to  annihilate  him 
on  the  spot.  He  walked  several  times  fore  and  aft  the  quar 
ter-deck.  He  then  stopped  abruptly,  directly  opposite  Mr. 
Halloway,  and,  after  grinding  his  teeth  together,  addressed 
him  fiercely  as  follows  : 

"  Mr.  Halloway,  how  fast  does  the  ship  go,  now  ? " 

"  Eight  knots  and  a  half,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Halloway,  with 
a  conciliatory  smile ;  for  he  knew  the  captain's  "  custom  of 
an  afternoon,"  and  feared  that  a  storm  was  about  to  burst 
forth. 

"  Eight  knots  and  a  half!     Only  eight  knots  and  a  half! 


336  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

What  is  the  meaning  of  this,  sir  ?  This  ship  ought  to  go  at 
least  ten  knots,  with  this  breeze.  You  must  be  mistaken,  sir, 
or  it  is  high  time  to  make  more  sail.  Heave  the  log,  Mr. 
Halloway." 

The  log  was  hove,  and  the  result  was  given  by  the  mate, 
as  follows :  "  She  takes  nine  knots  off  the  reel,  sir.  The 
wind  seems  to  increase." 

"  Poh,  't  is  only  a  good  whole-sail  breeze,  and  when  the 
wind  is  fair  we  must  improve  it.  She  must  go  ten  knots.  We 
must  crack  on  more  sail,  and  try  her  speed  for  once.  Set  the 
fore  and  mizzen  top-gallant  sails,  Mr.  Halloway." 

"  It  blows  very  hard  in  flaws,  sir  !  "  exclaimed  the  mate, 
with  a  deprecatory  look. 

"  Well,  let  it  blow !  "  thundered  out  Captain  Grampus. 
"  I  want  it  to  blow.  Call  all  hands,  and  get  more  sail  on  the 
ship  !  Do  you  think  I  don't  know  what  I  'm  about  ?  I  '11 
show«you  how  to  carry  sail,  my  good  fellow." 

Remonstrance,  of  course,  was  useless.  All  hands  were 
called,  and  were  on  deck  in  a  trice ;  for  the  watch  below  had, 
ever  since  eight  bells,  been  in  momentary  expectation  of  being 
roused  up  to  reduce  sail,  and,  as  the  wind  had  increased,  they 
were  somewhat  astonished  that  they  were  wanted  for  a  pur 
pose  entirely  different.  However,  it  is  Jack's  duty  to  obey 
orders,  without  questioning  their  propriety.  If  the  ship 
should  be  capsized,  or  dismasted,  or  swamped,  through  the 
folly,  or  obstinacy,  or  fool-hardiness,  of  any  of  her  officers, 
the  fault  is  not  his,  and  he  washes  his  hands  of  all  respon 
sibility. 

"  Up  there,  men,  and  loose  the  fore  and  mizzen  top-gallant 
sails  !  "  shouted  Mr.  Halloway. 

The  top-gallant  sails  were  loosed,  and,  after  much  shiver 
ing  and  slatting,  they  were  sheeted  home.  Captain  Grampus 
paced  the  quarter-deck,  looking,  and,  doubtless,  feeling  as 
proud  and  important  as  a  turkey-cock  in  all  his  glory.  The 


CUTTING   OUT    WORK    FOR   ALL   HANDS.  337 

ship  steered  badly,  and  whenever  a  heavier  flaw  struck  her, 
and  she  came  to  of  her  course,  the  masts  would  bend,  the 
yards  would  buckle,  and  a  loud  cracking  and  snapping  amongst 
the  rigging  seemed  to  admonish  the  skipper  to  be  prudent, 
that  the  "  Will-o'-the-wisp  "  was  not  to  be  trifled  with.  At 
such  times,  old  Grampus  would  open  his  lower  deck  ports,  and 
pour  out  tremendous  broadsides  of  oaths  and  abuse  upon  Blue- 
water-Jack,  the  helmsman,  and  upon  Mr.  Cat-Harping,  the 
second  mate,  who  was  standing  by  the  wheel,  cunning,  and 
occasionaly  assisting  Blue- water- Jack  in  heaving  up  the  wheel. 

"  Now  throw  the  log,  Mr.  Halloway,"  exclaimed  Captain 
Grampus,  with  a  grim  smile  of  satisfaction,  as  a  heavy  flaw 
struck  the  ship,  careened  her  some  half  a  dozen  streaks,  and 
made  all  crack  again. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  the  mate,  in  a  tone  which  indicated 
disgust  rather  than  satisfaction.  "•  Hold  the  reel." 

The  log  was  accordingly  thrown,  and  Mr.  Halloway  re 
ported  that  the  ship  was  walking  off  at  the  unprecedented 
rate  of  nine  knots  and  a  half  an  hour. 

"  Nine  knots  and  a  half! "  shouted  Captain  Grampus. 
"  Only  nine  knots  and  a  half?  She  must  go  faster  than  that. 
We  must  set  the  fore-topmast  studding-sail." 

Mr.  Halloway  stared ;  but  he  knew  that,  as  Captain  Gram 
pus  was  in  full  sailing  trim,  with  a  good  cargo  of  cogniac 
and  Madeira  on  board,  it  would  be  useless  to  try  to  convince 
him  of  his  folly,  and  the  men  were  ordered  aloft  to  rig  out  the 
fore-topmast  studding-sail  boom.  It  required  great  care,  in 
setting  this  sail,  to  prevent  its  being  split  in  pieces.  But  Mr. 
Hallo  way  was  a  good  seaman,  and  a  sober  man  into  the  bar 
gain  ;  and,  after  a  pretty  tough  siege,  he  succeeded  in  setting 
the  sail.  The  wind  kept  gradually  increasing,  and  the  old 
ship  seemed  to  leap  madly  along,  straining,  like  a  well-trained 
race-horse,  to  reach  the  goal,  and  looking  for  almost  every 
point  of  the  compass  but  the  right  one.  The  boom,  too, 
•29 


338  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

buckled  like  a  whip-stick,  and  the  crew  expected  every 
moment  to  see  it  broken  short  off,  and  the  sail  rent  into  rib 
bons.  Captain  Grampus  noticed  the  bending  of  the  boom. 
"  Mr.  Halloway,"  said  he,  "  that  fore-topmast  studding-sail 
boom,  like  a  fresh  water  dandy,  cocks  up  its  nose  rather  too 
much.  Clap  on  the  lower  studding-sail  to  keep  all  straight, 
and  let  the  good  old  ship  go  ahead." 

"  Get  along  the  lower  studding-sail  there,  men.  Clear  away 
the  boom  and  reeve  the  gear,"  exclaimed  the  mate. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  replied  Ebenezer  Oakum,  a  hearty  old  salt, 
at  the  same  time  saying  in  an  under  tone  to  Harvey  Scuttle- 
but,  "  I  say,  Harvey,  the  *  old  man '  has  got  his  beer  aboard, 
and  is  cutting  out  work  for  all  hands" 

The  lower  studding-sail  was  brought  on  the  forecastle,  the 
halliards  were  bent  on,  and  the  gear  all  prepared.  Captain 
Grampus  had  just  been  below,  "freshening  the  nip."  He 
was  much  excited,  and  paced  the  deck  rapidly,  sometimes 
swearing  terribly  to  the  helmsman,  for  not  steering  small, 
sometimes  bawling  to  the  mate  for  not  bearing  a  hand  in  set 
ting  the  studding-sail,  and  sometimes  chuckling  and  grinning 
like  an  overgrown  baboon. 

At  length  the  lower  studding-sail  was  ready  for  hoisting. 
The  men  clapped  on  to  the  halliards  and  out-hauler,  the  wind 
struck  the  sail,  which,  fastened  by  the  four  corners,  bellied 
out,  and  caught  more  than  a  capful  of  wind.  At  the  same 
time  a  flaw  struck  the  ship,  and  she  came  to  of  her  course 
some  two  or  three  points ;  a  sea  dashed  against  her  weather 
bulwarks,  rolled  into  the  waist,  nearly  filled  her  decks,  and 
made  the  old  Will-o'-the-wisp  shiver  and  shake,  as  if  she  had 
been  suddenly  attacked  with  fever  and  ague. 

"  Hard  up  the  helm,  you  scoundrel !  Hard  up,  I  tell  ye, 
you  know-nothing  soldier  !  "  screamed  Captain  Grampus. 

"  Hard  up  it  is,  sir  !  "  exclaimed  the  helmsman,  puffing  and 


CUTTING    OUT    WORK    FOR    ALL   HANDS. 


339 


blowing  like  a  porpoise,  and  almost  overcome  with  fatigue,  for 
his  office  had  not  been  a  sinecure. 

At  this  moment  the  wind  piped  harder  than  ever.  The 
weather  fore-brace,  of  old  coir  rope,  could  no  longer  stand  the 
racket,  —  it  parted.  The  studding-sail  boom  broke  short  off 
by  the  iron,  the  fore-yard  flew  fore  and  aft,  and  the  topsail- 
yard  followed  its  example.  The  pressure  upon  the  topmast 
was  now  greater  than  it  could  conveniently  bear,  and  away 
over  the  side  went  the  fore-topmast ;  as  a  matter  of  course,  or 
courtesy,  the  main  top-gallant-mast  followed  suit.  The  head 


sail  being  thus  suddenly  reduced,  and  the  whole  spanker  being 
set,  the  ship  luffed  up,  and  such  a  fluttering  of  canvas  was 
seen  and  heard  as  has  seldom  been  witnessed  on  board  a  craft 
where  temperance  watched  over  the  cabin  ! 


340  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

Captain  Grampus  seemed  to  be  really  astonished  at  this 
very  natural  result ;  but  his  astonishment  gradually  gave  way 
to  indignation.  He  gave  the  mate  a  stare,  in  which  perplex 
ity  and  fury  seemed  combined,  —  a  stare  which  was  evidently 
intended  to  annihilate,  —  exclaiming  at  the  same  time,  in  a 
voice  of  thunder,  "  There,  Mr.  Halloway,  I  think  you  have 
done  it,  now  !  " 

"  Done  it !  "  replied  the  mate,  in  a  bitter  tone,  gazing  de 
spairingly  upon  the  wreck.  "  Yes,  you  have  DONE  IT  with  a 
vengeance  !  Come,  lads,"  he  continued,  in  a  more  cheerful 
voice,  "  there  's  no  help  for  it  now.  Let  us  go  to  work  with 
a  will,  and  clear  the  wreck." 

"  That 's  right,  Mr.  Halloway,"  said  Captain  Grampus. 
"  'T  is  a  pity  you  made  such  a  fuss,  merely  about  setting  a 
lower  studding-sail.  But,  as  you  say,  there  is  no  help  for  it. 
Clear  away  the  wreck  as  quick  as  possible ;  save  all  the 
spars,  sails  and  rigging,  if  you  can,  and  get  up  a  new  top 
mast,  and  make  sail  again  as  soon  as  possible."  Thus  saying, 
Captain  Grampus  staggered  down  to  the  cabin,  and,  after 
seeking  for  consolation  in  a  glass  of  raw  cogniac,  he  leisurely 
turned  in. 

As  his  head'  disappeared  through  the  companion-way, 
Mr.  Halloway  muttered  some  reply,  which  was  by  no  means 
respectful  in  its  character,  or  complimentary  to  his  superior 
officer. 

"  There,"  said  Eben  Oakum  to  Harvey  Scuttlebut,  "  what 
did  I  tell  you  ?  Did  n't  I  say  the  old  man  would  cut  out  work 
for  all  hands?" 


JACK  HOPKINS. 

A    CASE    OF    CIRCUMSTANTIAL    EVIDENCE. 

"  Hang  him  !     For  what  1     Will  't  make  the  poor  wretch  better, 
Even  if  guilty  of  the  dreadful  crime  1 
But  if  he  should  be  innocent  !     'T  is  sad, 
Indeed,  and  fearful  to  indulge  the  thought. 
"What  right  has  man  —  frail  and  imperfect  man  — 
Thus  to  usurp  the  province  of  the  Deity, 
And,  under  cover  of  the  forms  of  law, 
Riot  in  blood,  and  snap  the  chord  of  life  1  " 

OLD  PLAY. 

ONE  beautiful  night,  the  brig  Petrel  was  crossing  the  Great 
Bahama  Bank,  on  a  voyage  to  Sisal,  from  New  York.  It  was 
about  sunset  when  this  vessel  entered  upon  the  Bank,  and, 
with  a  fine  easterly  breeze,  and  a  smooth  sea,  soon  left  Stir 
rup  Key  far  behind.  The  captain,  as  he  paced  the  quarter 
deck  in  a  joyous  mood,  gayly  predicted  that  he  would  be  up 
with  the  Orange  Keys,  on  the  edge  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  by  six 
o'clock  on  the  following  morning.  But  his  expectation  was 
not  realized.  Before  midnight  the  wind  died  away,  and  we 
were  tantalized  by  a  calm  —  one  of  the  most  disagreeable  inci 
dents  in  the  course  of  a  voyage.  In  a  gale  of  wind  there  is 
something  sublime,  majestic,  exciting ;  in  a  very  heavy  squall 
all  hands  are  roused,  and  all  their  energies  are  called  into  ac 
tion  ;  in  a  good  stiff"  breeze  the  craft  jogs  merrily  along,  and 
the  crew  look  forward  with  eager  hope  to  the  time  of  her 
arrival  in  port ;  but  there  is  a  dismal  monotony  in  a  calm, 
29* 


342  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

which  strikes  a  chill  to  the  heart  of  a  sailor,  and  spreads  a 
gloom  over  his  features,  and  despondency  over  his  spirits. 

After  the  breeze  had  left  us,  it  was  soon  ascertained  that 
there  was  a  current  setting  to  the  north-west  at  the  rate  of 
about  one  and  a  half  knots  an  hour ;  and  the  captain,  not 
wishing  to  be  drifted  out  of  his  reckoning,  wisely  concluded  to 
let  go  the  kedge  anchor,  in  order  to  remain  in  the  mid  chan 
nel.  The  anchor  was  let  go  accordingly ;  the  courses  were 
hauled  up,  and  there  we  lay,  for  several  hours,  snugly  at 
anchor  in  sixteen  feet  of  water,  on  nearly  the  centre  of  the 
Great  Bahama  Bank. 

And  the  scene  was  a  beautiful  one  !  There  was  not  a  rip 
ple  on  the  vast  expanse  of  water  which  surrounded  us  on 
every  side  ;  and  the  element  was  so  transparent,  and  so  lighted 
up  by  the  rays  of  the  moon,  which  was  nearly  full,  and  seemed 
to  smile  upon  us  pensively  from  its  high  station  in  the 
heavens,  that  the  white  coral  sand,  and  fragments  of  coral 
limestone,  and  here  and  there  a  small  tuft  of  dark-looking 
sponge  on  the  bottom,  could  be  seen  with  wonderful  distinct 
ness.  Indeed,  the  silver  light,  reflected  from  the  snowy  plain, 
of  vast  extent  beneath  the  waters,  seemed  to  impart  its  own 
pure  hue  to  the  briny  element ;  and  we  could  hardly  persuade 
ourselves  that  we  were  not  riding  at  anchor  in  the  midst  of  a 
vast  sea  of  liquid  pearl. 

Our  captain,  however,  who  was  a  driving  sort  of  a  charac 
ter,  and  a  great  enemy  to  sentiment  and  poetry,  seemed  not 
to  enjoy  the  beautiful  and  romantic  scene  around  us ;  on  the 
contrary,  he  viewed  it  with  a  countenance  expressive  of  utter 
disgust.  He  paced  the  deck  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  with 
hasty  and  impatient  strides,  and  then,  apparently  perceiving 
no  prospect  of  a  speedy  change  of  weather,  he  turned  to  the 
second  officer,  and,  in  a  brief  and  abrupt  manner,  requested 
to  be  called  if  a  breeze  should  spring  up,  and  muttering  some 
strange  sounds,  which  were  not  distinctly  "syllabled,"  dis- 


JACK    HOPKINS.  0-13 

appeared  from  the  deck,  and  soon  forgot  his  troubles  and  dis 
appointments  in  a  sweet  sleep. 

Bob  Hastings,  Harry  Snyder  and  myself,  having  the  middle 
watch,  took  possession  of  the  forecastle,  and,  seated  on  the 
bowsprit  bits,  or  leaning  against  the  fore-scuttle,  we  watched 
the  appearance  of  the  weather;  but  everything  prognosti 
cated  a  continuance  of  the  calm ;  and  it  is  not,  perhaps,  re 
markable  that  our  thoughts  took  a  turn  which  was  by  no 
means  of  a  cheerful  description. 

"  I  say,  Hawser,"  exclaimed  Bob  Hastings,  in  a  low  but 
hoarse  voice,  "  the  last  time  I  crossed  the  bank,  was  in  the 
ship  Orange  Blossom,  along  with  old  Captain  Colesworthy ; 
and  Jack  Hopkins,  as  fine  a  fellow  as  ever  broke  a  biscuit, 
was  on  board  that  ship.  He  was,'  indeed,  a  whole-hearted 
sailor,  but  his  fate  was  a  sad  and  unjust  one.  Poor  Jack !  " 

"  Jack  Hopkins  !  "  exclaimed  Harry.  "  It  strikes  me  that 
I  have  heard  of  that  chap.  If  I  am  not  mistaken,  we  were 
shipmates  together  on  board  the  old  ship  Medusa,  on  a  voy 
age  to  the  River  of  Plate,  some  eight  or  ten  years  ago.  We 
separated  after  we  arrived  home,  and  I  have  never  seen  him 
since." 

"  And  never  will,"  said  Bob,  in  a  sepulchral  voice. 

"  Indeed,"  replied  Harry.  "  Come,  tell  us  about  him. 
You  say  his  fate  was  a  sad  one.  What  was  it  ?  " 

"  Ay,"  said  Tom  Wheelrope,  who  had  just  come  on  deck, 
and  would  any  time  exchange  a  good  nap  for  a  yarn,  "  what 
was  it  ? " 

"  Why,"  replied  Bob,  "  the  fact  is,  I  don't  like  to  talk 
about  it,  for  it  makes  me  feel  down  in  the  mouth  for  a  week, 
afterwards.  However,  as  we  seem  to  have  nothing  to  do,  and 
as  I  suppose  it  won't  answer  to  '  calk  '  while  lying  here  at 
anchor,  notwithstanding  the  calm  seems  likely  to  last  the 
whole  watch,  I  suppose  I  may  as  well  tell  you  what  became  of 
Jack  Hopkins." 


344  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

"  That 's  right,  my  hearty  !  "  exclaimed  Tom.  "  I  like  to 
listen  to  a  yarn,  especially  if  it  is  well  spun  and  is  of  good 
material,  as  is  always  the  case  with  your  yarns.  You  talk 
like  a  book.  So  heave  ahead." 

"  What  I  am  going  to  tell  you  is  the  truth,  any  how,"  said 
Bob. 

"  Well,  well,  let 's  have  it,  such  as  it  is,"  exclaimed  Harry, 
rather  impatiently,  "  without  any  further  palaver." 

Bob  answered  this  energetic  appeal  by  thrusting  a  huge 
mass  of  the  Virginia  weed  between  his  capacious  jaws,  at  the 
same  time  giving  his  features  a  twist  which  would  have 
frightened  a  catamount.  He  then  commenced  his  narrative 
of  the  fate  of  Jack  Hopkins. 

"  I  have  already  told  you,  shipmates,  that  Jack  was  as  fine 
a  fellow  as  ever  broke  a  'biscuit.  He  was  born  and  brought 
up  somewhere  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  White  Mountains, 
in  New  Hampshire,  and  received  a  tolerable  education,  — 
better  than  is  the  case  with  the  common  run  of  sailors. 
When  we  sailed  together  in  the  Orange  Blossom,  he  had 
been  three  voyages  before  the  inast,  and  might  have  shipped 
as  second  mate,  before  we  started,  but  he  thought  he  would 
go  another  voyage  before  he  left  the  forecastle  for  the  cabin. 

"  Jack  Hopkins  was  a  fearless  and  active  sailor.  He  was  in 
his  element  in  a  gale  of  wind,  and  could  turn  off  a  nice  job 
of  work  with  a  degree  of  neatness  and  dexterity  which  would 
astonish  even  a  veteran  seaman.  His  shipmates  all  liked  him, 
for  he  was  of  a  kind,  obliging  disposition,  never  a  fomenter  of 
quarrels  in  the  forecastle,  or  a  promoterof  dissensions  between 
the  officers  and  the  people ;  he  never  neglected  his  duty  on 
board,  and  he  never  got  drunk  or  engaged  in  raws  on  shore. 
He  was  a  cheerful,  honest-hearted,  intelligent  Yankee  sailor. 
Such  was  Jack  Hopkins,  and  I  wish  we  had  more  sailors  like 
him. 

"  Well,  we  reached  Havana  in  good  time,  and,  after  dis- 


JACK    HOPKINS.  345 

charging  our  cargo,  lay  moored  quietly  in  the  upper  harbor, 
waiting  for  cargo  for  St.  Petersburg.  One  Sunday,  three  of 
the  men  —  and  those  none  of  the  steadiest  —  obtained  leave 
to  go  on  shore,  on  the  express  condition  of  coming  on  board 
before  sunset.  They  were  rather  wild  chaps,  and  the  mate 
was  afraid  that  they  would  get  into  some  trouble,  especially 
as  neither  of  them  was  ever  known  to  refuse  a  glass  of  grog 
when  it  was  offered  him.  The  sun  went  down,  but  they  did 
not  come  on  board,  and  the  mate  asked  Jack  to  go  ashore  and 
try  to  find  them.  I  went  with  him,  and  staid  by  the  boat, 
while  he  went  up  to  look  for  the  men.  It  soon  grew  dark,  and 
Jack  did  not  come  back  ;  after  waiting  about  an  hour,  I  sculled 
the  boat  off  alongside  the  ship,  and  made  my  report  to  the 
mate,  who,  however,  did  not  fear  anything  about  Jack,  as  he 
well  knew  he  could  take  care  of  himself. 

"  It  appeared  afterwards,  from  Jack's  statement,  that  the 
faithful  fellow  succeeded  in  finding  his  shipmates,  by  dint  of 
inquiries  on  the  quay ;  but  they  were  tipsy,  and  resisted  his 
entreaties  to  go  with  him  on  board.  They  were  moored  in  a 
snug  harbor,  where,  as  long  as  their  money  lasted,  they  could 
have  abundance  of  what  sailors  are  apt  to  consider  the  bless 
ings  of  life, — good  things  to  eat,  and  plenty  to  drink. 
They  were  in  a  boarding-house  and  grog-shop,  kept  by  a 
swarthy,  rough-looking  Frenchman,  who  made  a  living  by 
coaxing  ship's  companies  to  desert,  boarding  them  for  a  few 
clays,  and  then  shipping  them  on  board  other  vessels  in  want 
of  crews. 

"  One  of  the  men,  Sam  Townsend,  said  he  would  go  on  board 
after  he  had  finished  his  aguadie?ite,  and  had  a  sociable  chat 
with  an  old  shipmate,  whom  he  found  drifting  about ;  and 
Jack,  being  reluctant  to  go  off  without  them,  remained  on 
shore  for  a  while,  hoping  to  persuade  them  to  go  along  with 
him  in  a  quiet  manner.  But  he  could  not  prevent  them  from 
drinking  grog,  and,  after  a  time,  it  became  evident  to  him 


346  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

that  they  were  unable  to  walk-  down  to  the  quay,  and  a  volante 
could  not  be  had  at  that  time  of  night,  it  being  between  ten 
and  eleven  o'clock.  He  therefore  seized  upon  a  sword-cane 
and  a  few  other  articles  of  little  use,  which  Sam  had  foolishly 
bought,  and  asked  him  to  take  care  of,  and  thoughtfully  pur 
sued  his  way  through  the  narrow  streets  of  Havana,  towards 
the  quay. 

"  He  had  gone  about  half  the  distance  to  the  public  square, 
and  was  in  a  dark  and  narrow  street,  when  he  thought  he 
heard  a  shriek,  as  if  from  a  person  in  dreadful  agony.  Al 
ways  ready  to  succor  the  distressed,  Jack  grasped  his  cane, 
and  rushed  forward  in  the  direction  of  the  sound ;  but  all  was 
silent.  When  he  had  reached  the  spot  from  whence  the  sound 
had  seemed  to  proceed,  he  spied  something  white  lying  on 
the  ground.  He  picked  it  up,  and  it  proved  to  be  a  cambric 
handkerchief,  which  he  thrust  within  his  bosom.  At  the 
same  moment,  a  large  dog  sprung  towards  him,  and  com 
menced  a  fierce  attack,  growling  and  barking  furiously. 
Jack  found  it  necessary  to  resort  to  decided  measures,  in 
order  to  defend  his  life  from  the  attack  of  the  savage  animal. 
He  congratulated  himself  on  having  possession  of  the  sword- 
cane,  and,  with  a  well-directed  thrust  at  the  brute,  he  ran  him 
through  the  body,  and  sent  him  howling  and  bleeding  away ; 
but  not  until  he  himself  was  bereft  of  nearly  one  half  of  his 
lower  garment,  and  had  received  upon  his  person  some  rather 
painful  marks  of  the  savage  character  of  his  four-footed 
enemy. 

"  At  that  moment,  a  guard  of  six  soldiers  and  an  officer 
appeared  turning  a  corner,  near  by.  They  had  lights  with 
them,  and  Jack,  fearing  he  might  be  detained,  and  get  into 
difficulty  if  he  should  come  in  contact  with  the  patrol,  espe 
cially  as  he  could  speak  no  Spanish,  thought  it  best  to  clear 
as  fast  as  possible.  He  turned  down  what  he  took  to  be  a 
narrow  lane,  running  as  fast  as  he  was  able.  But  the  soldiers 


JACK    HOPKINS. 


347 


saw  him,  and  gave  chase.  Jack  would  have  got  away  easily 
enough,  if  he  could  have  gone  forward;  but  an  obstacle 
intervened  which  he  did  not  expect ;  he  found  himself  not  in 
a  lane,  but  in  a  blind  alley,  to  which  there  was  an  entrance, 
but  from  which  there  was  no  exit,  unless  he  retraced  his  steps. 
The  Spaniards  soon  came  up  with  him,  and  found  him  crouch 
ing  in  a  corner,  grasping  in  his  hand  the  sword-cane  of  Sam 
Townsend,  the  blade  covered  with  blood ! 


"Here  was  a  sad   business.     The  soldiers   declared  that 
murder  had  been  committed,  and  Jack  was  believed  to  be  a 


348  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

great  scoundrel,  and  handled  rather  roughly.  Two  Spaniards 
seized  him  by  the  throat,  and  dragged  him  towards  the  guard- 
house.  Their  progress,  however,  was  interrupted  by  a  fearful 
shout  from  two  of  their  comrades,  who  had  been  carefully  ex 
amining  the  street,  and  who  found,  near  the  spot  where  Jack 
had  fought  with  the  dog,  the  dead  body  of  a  Spanish  gentle 
man,  his  garments  soaked  with  blood.  His  limbs  were  yet 
warm,  and  it  was  plain  that  he  had  just  been  assassinated  and 
robbed ;  and  it  was  probably  his  shriek  which  had  alarmed 
Jack,  and  roused  the  patrol. 

''Jack  Hopkins  was  conveyed  to  the  guard-house;  with 
regard  to  his  guilt  there  was,  of  course,  no  room  for  doubt  on 
the  mind  of  the  officer  on  duty.  The  suspected  assassin  was 
thrust  into  a  noisome  dungeon,  where  he  passed  a  hapless 
night  in  reflecting  upon  his  strange  and  awkward  condition. 
The  next  day  he  was  loaded  with  heavy  irons,  and  carried 
before  an  Alcade,  or  some  kind  of  magistrate ;  and  Captain 
Colesworthy  was  sent  for.  He  came,  accompanied  by  the 
American  Consul,  and  the  examination  took  place.  The 
soldiers  swore  to  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  it  is  not  likely  that 
the  rascals  softened  the  matter  any,  as  they  heartily  hate  the 
Yankees.  Jack  told  his  story ;  but,  of  course,  it  produced  no 
effect.  Captain  Colesworthy  could  only  give  decided  testi 
mony  in  favor  of  his  general  character,  and  declare  his  firm 
belief  in  his  innocence ;  but  the  American  Consul  shook  his 
head.  Jack  Hopkins,  who,  never  in  his  life,  harmed  a  human 
being,  was  ordered  back  to  prison,  to  be  tried  on  a  charge  of 
cool-blooded,  deliberate  murder  and  robbery ! 

"  In  the  course  of  about  ten  days  the  trial  came  on,  and 
Captain  Colesworthy,  like  a  gentleman,  as  he  was,  spared  no 
effort  to  ensure  Jack  a  fair  trial,  and  to  prove  his  innocence. 
But  the  task  was  a  difficult  one.  Although  he  and  all  who 
knew  Jack  were  convinced  that  his  account  of  the  matter 
was  as  worthy  of  credit  as  if  sworn  to  by  a  dozen  men  of  the 


JACK    HOPKINS.  349 

highest  character  for  truth  and  honesty,  yet  the  evidence 
against  him  was  strong,  and  apparently  conclusive  ;  and  it 
was  soon  too  plain  that  Jack  Hopkins's  case  was  a  hopeless 
one. 

"  It  was  proved  that,  on  the  night  in  question,  a  shriek 
was  heard,  evidently  proceeding  from  a  person  in  great  dis 
tress  ;  that,  on  going  towards  the  spot  from  which  the  sound 
seemed  to  proceed,  they  found  a  man  struggling  with  a  dog, 
which,  soon  after,  ran  howling  away.  On  their  appearance, 
the  man,  as  if  afraid  of  being  detected  in  the  commission  of 
some  crime,  made  a  desperate  effort  to  escape,  but  was  finally 
discovered  in  a  remote  corner  of  an  alley,  striving  to  conceal 
himself  from  their  view,  and  holding  in  his  hands  a  bloody 
sword  !  He  looked  pale  and  agitated  when  taken,  and  his 
clothes  were  partly  torn  off,  and  some  portions  of  them  were 
spotted  with  blood.  And,  near  the  spot  were  the  prisoner 
was  first  seen,  the  body  of  a  rich  and  respectable  citizen  of 
Havana  was  found  dead ;  he  having  been  thrust  through  the 
heart  with  a  sharp  and  pointed  weapon,  either  a  knife,  sword, 
or  a  dagger ;  and  the  wound  corresponding  exactly  in  size 
with  the  bloody  sword  found  in  the  hand  of  the  prisoner. 
The  murdered  man  had  been  robbed  ;  plunder  having  doubt 
less  been  the  object  of  the  assassin,  and  a  portion  of  the 
property  had  been  found  on  the  person  of  the  accused  ;  and 
it  was,  therefore,  but  fair  to  suppose  that  he  had  an  accom 
plice,  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  remaining  booty,  and 
who,  while  the  prisoner  was  struggling  with  the  dog,  had  suc 
ceeded  in  making  his  escape. 

"  The  evidence  was  overwhelming ;  indeed,  hardly  an  in 
dividual  in  court,  or  in  all  Havana,  excepting  the  officers  and 
crew  of  the  Orange  Blossom,  believed  that  Jack  Hopkins  was 
innocent.  The  facts  were  stated  in  a  clear  manner ;  there 
was  no  contradiction  among  the  witnesses,  and  it  is  not  sur 
prising  that  Jack's  plain  tale,  excepting  so  far  as  it  was  cor- 
30 


350  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

roborated  by  several  ragamuffins  of  equivocal  character,  who 
had  seen  Jack  quit  the  boarding-house  that  evening,  obtained 
no  credit  whatever. 

"  Jack  Hopkins  was  doomed  to  die.  The  third  day  after 
his  trial,  was  the  day  appointed  for  him  to  undergo  the  pun 
ishment  of  death  by  the  garrote. 

"  My  poor  shipmate  !  He  was  in  the  bloom  of  manhood, 
possessed  of  a  vigorous  constitution,  which  promised  a  long 
life,  with  prospects  opening  upon  him  of  a  cheerful  descrip 
tion.  He  had  friends  whom  he  dearly  loved,  —  father, 
mother,  brothers  and  sisters,  in  his  native  land ;  yet  he  was 
sentenced,  in  a  foreign  country,  to  pay  the  horrible  penalty 
for  a  crime  which  he  had  never  committed ;  to  be  barba 
rously,  deliberately  murdered  in  cold  blood,  according  to  pre 
scribed  forms  of  law !  It  was  a  hard  case ;  and  it  is  no 
wonder  that  poor  Jack  Hopkins  shrank  with  terror  from  the 
idea  of  suffering  the  dreadful  penalty. 

"  Captain  Colesworthy  saw  him  several  times  during  the 
interval  between  the  sentence  and  the  execution,  and  tried 
hard  to  give  him  consolation ;  but,  let  me  tell  you,  shipmates, 
it  is  no  easy  thing  to  reconcile  a  man  to  his  fate,  when  that 
fate  is  a  cruel  and  an  ignominious  death.  None  of  his  old 
messmates  were  allowed  to  see  him,  until  early  on  the  morn 
ing  assigned  for  his  execution.  On  that  memorable  morning 
we  saw  him  through  the  narrow  grates  of  his  dungeon.  He 
looked  ghastly  pale.  He  told  us  it  was  a  fearful  thing  to  die, 
but  that  he  had  found  comfort  in  his  Bible,  which  the  Span 
iards,  with  a  degree  of  indulgence  not  common,  had  allowed 
him  to  read  in  his  cell.  He  prayed  that  neither  of  us  might 
ever  meet  a  similar  fate.  He  divided  the  little  property 
which  he  had  on  board,  among  us,  to  keep  for  his  sake ;  and 
said  he  had  given  Captain  Colesworthy  some  messages  for 
his  relatives  in  New  Hampshire,  which  he  had  promised  to 
execute.  '  But  my  poor  mother,'  exclaimed  he,  in  heart- 


JACK    HOPKINS.  351 

rending  accents,  '  who  loved  me  so  dearly !  How  will  she  be 
comforted  when  she  learns  my  dreadful  fate  ?  I  beg  of  you, 
continued  he,  earnestly,  *  if  you  ever  meet  with  any  of  my 
friends,  —  with  any  persons  who  knew  Jack  Hopkins,  —  to 
assure  them,  on  the  word  of  a  dying  man,  that  he  was  inno 
cent.' 

"  The  guard  now  approached  to  take  him  to  the  place  of 
execution,  and  we  were  compelled  to  bid  farewell  to  our  noble 
shipmate.  Yes,  we  bade  him,  with  tearful  eyes,  an  eternal 
farewell. 

"  The  place  of  execution  was  on  the  Pun  to,  where  some 
thousands  of  people  had  collected,  at  an  early  hour,  to  witness 
the  horrid  sight  of  the  legal  murder  of  a  human  being  by  the 
hands  of  the  executioner,  —  to  see  the  pale  and  agitated 
frame,  to  hear  the  last  words,  to  witness  the  convulsive,  dying 
struggles  of  a  poor  wretch,  condemned  to  die  by  his  fellow- 
men,  in  direct  violation  of  the  dictates  of  humanity,  and  the 
law  of  God,  which  says  in  the  most  emphatic  language,  'Thou 
shalt  not  kill ! ' 

"  Jack  Hopkins  was  brought  to  the  place  of  execution  in  a 
condition  more  dead  than-  alive ;  for  life  was  sweet  to  him, 
and  seemed  laden  with  rare  and  rich  blessings ;  while,  on  the 
other  hand,  death  had  assumed  its  most  appalling  form,  —  a 
form  calculated  to  chill  the  stoutest  heart.  Jack  was  as 
sisted  to  the  scaffold,  and  bade  to  repose  his  trembling  limbs 
on  a  bench.  He  looked  upon  the  vast  assemblage  before 
him,  who  came  to  see  him  die ;  he  clasped  his  hands  convul 
sively,  and  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven,  with  a  look  confident, 
yet  imploring ;  a  look  which  I  shall  never  forget.  The 
garrote,  —  an  instrument  composed  of  a  circular  band  of  iron, 
—  was  placed  around  his  neck.  The  fatal  multiplying  screw 
was  applied,  which  brought  the  ends  nearer  to  each  other,  and 
stopped  the  respiration,  and  the  circulation  of  the  blood ;  and 
the  audible  and  fervent  prayer  of  Jack  Hopkins  to  his  God 


352  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

to  receive  his  soul,  was  changed  into  a  horrid,  inarticulate 
sound  — a  gurgle  of  agony !  Poor  Jack  Hopkins  was  no  longer 
among  the  living  ! 

"  A  few  days  after  the  execution  of  our  shipmate,  which 
cast  a  deep  gloom  over  the  ship's  company  for  the  remainder 
of  the  voyage,  a  villanous-looking  Spaniard,  who  had  entered 
a  house  in  the  night,  was  arrested  by  the  patrol,  in  one  of 
the  sleeping  apartments,  in  the  very  act  of  murdering  the 
occupant.  He  was  tried  and  condemned  to  death,  and,  pre 
vious  to  his  execution,  confessed  that  he  had  been  guilty  of 
the  act  for  which  the  American  sailor  had  suffered.  He  ac 
knowledged  that  he  had  stabbed  the  Spaniard  in  the  street 
with  a  dagger,  had  hastily  secured  his  purse,  his  watch,  and  a 
diamond  ring,  and  made  his  escape  as  he  heard  the  sound  of 
footsteps  approaching.  He  even  indicated  the  spot  where  the 
booty  was  concealed,  which  was  afterwards  recovered. 

"  This  confession,  although  too  late  to  save  my  friend  from 
a  shameful  death,  redeemed  his  reputation,  by  removing  all 
suspicion  of  his  guilt ;  and  even  this  was  some  gratification  to 
his  friends.  The  Governor-General  of  Cuba  made  a  very 
polite  apology  to  the  Consul,  for  the  mistake  in  putting  a 
worthy  American  citizen  to  death  for  a  deed  committed  by 
a  sanguinary  Spaniard  !  " 

Tom  Wheelrope,  who  had  listened  with  close  attention  to 
Bob's  narration,  and  whose  interest  increased  as  the  tale  pro 
gressed,  as  soo"h  as  it  was  completed,  sprang  to  his  feet,  struck 
the  gunwale  a  blow  with  his  iron  fist,  which  would  have  felled 
an  ox,  and  exclaimed,  with  bitterness, 

"  The  cowardly,  murderous  scoundrels  !  To  hang  an  inno 
cent  man  !  I  always  owed  the  Spaniards  a  grudge.  It  will 
be  a  double  grudge  after  this." 

"  But  perhaps  the  Spaniards  were  not  so  much  to  blame, 
after  all,"  replied  Bob.  "  Circumstances  were  against  Jack. 


JACK    HOPKINS. 


353 


They  would  have  hanged  him  in  New  England  on  the  same 
evidence." 

"  But  he  was  not  proved  guilty,"  said  Tom  ;  "  and  is  it  the 
law  that  a  man  who,  owing  to  suspicious  circumstances,  may 
be  arrested  and  tried  for  murder,  shall  be  hanged,  unless  he 
is  able  to  show  that  he  is  innocent  ?  " 

"  Certainly  it  is,  my  dear  fellow.  Such  cases  are  of  fre 
quent  occurrence  in  all  civilized  countries.  But  the  custom 
of  killing  men  systematically,  for  the  commission  of  crime,  is 
a  bad  one.  There  are  many  better  ways  of  punishing  men 
than  applying  torture,  or  taking  a  life  which  can  never  be 
restored." 


CALICO   JACK. 

like  Arion  on  the  dolphin's  back, 


I  saw  him  make  acquaintance  with  the  wave*, 
As  long  as  I  could  see." 

SHAKSPEARE. 

"  PORPOISES  !     Porpoises  !     Porpoises  !  " 

Such  was  the  cry  one  morning,  about  six  bells,  on  board 
the  ship  Lobster,  of  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire;  and  the 
cry  was  taken  up  in  all  parts  of  the  ship,  and  the  shout  of 
"  Porpoises  !  porpoises  !  "  was  heard  in  every  key,  from  the 
gruff  bass  of  the  boatswain,  to  the  shrill  treble  of  the  cabin- 
boy. 

The  ship  Lobster  was  bound  to  Liverpool,  and  was  now 
approaching  soundings  off  Cape  Clear,  after  a  long  and  bois 
terous  passage.  The  crew  were  a  lively  set  of  fellows,  and 
eagerly  seized  upon  anything  which  promised  excitement  and 
a  little  relief  from  the  monotony  usually  attendant  on  a  long 
passage  across  the  Atlantic.  The  cry  of  "  Porpoises !  " 
seemed  a  magic  charm  to  rouse  all  their  energies  into  action, 
and  every  man  hastened  to  the  weather  side  of  the  deck,  and, 
with  outstretched  neck,  and  glistening  eyes  protruding  from 
their  sockets,  was  soon  earnestly  gazing  towards  that  part  of 
the  ocean  indicated  by  Sam  Starkweather,  a  gnarly-looking 
old  tar,  who  was  standing  on  the  starboard  cat-head,  holding 
on  by  the  fore-tack. 

And  there,  sure  enough,  away  off  on  the  weather-bow,  was 
seen  a  shoal  of  porpoises,  rapidly  approaching  the  ship.  They 


CALICO    JACK. 


355 


seemed  to  be  in  high  glee,  sporting  with  each  other,  leaping 
out  of  the  water,  and  playing  a  variety  of  antics,  which  would 
have  excited  the  admiration  of  a  harlequin. 

"  Where  is  the  captain  ?  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Westinacot,  the 
mate.  "  Steward,  call  the  captain." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  and  that  sable  functionary  dived  below. 

"  Hand  along  the  harpoon  !  "  yelled  the  mate.  "  Bend  on 
the  end  of  the  fore-topsail  halliards  !  " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

And  now  Captain  Rutherford,  in  marvellous  scanty  cos 
tume,  came  rushing  on  deck,  with  eager  determination  in  his 
look,  as  if  he  was  resolved  on  mighty  deeds.  "  Where  are 
the  porpoises  ? "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  sprang  out  of  the  com 
panion-way.  In  three  bounds  he  reached  the  forecastle,  for 
the  Lobster  was  not  an  everlastingly  long,  snakish-looking, 
modern,  mammoth  clipper. 

"  Here  they  are,  sir,  almost  under  the  bows  !  "  screamed 
Sam  Starkweather. 

Captain  Rutherford  took  his  station  on  the  bowsprit  shrouds, 
albeit  he  was  pretty  sure  of  a  ducking.  "  Reach  me  the 
harpoon !  Be  lively,  lads  !  What  are  you  about  ?  Now 
stand  by  !  See  all  clear  to  haul  one  of  those  fellows  aboard  ! " 
and  with  stalwart  arms  he  brandished  the  death-dealing  in 
strument. 

A  tail-block  was  fastened  to  the  fore-stay,  through  which 
the  topsail  halliards  were  rove,  and  then  made  fast  to  the  eye 
of  the  piece  of  rope  permanently  attached  to  the  harpoon. 

The  unsophisticated  fish,  unconscious  of  danger,  and  at 
tracted  by  a  very  natural  curiosity,  began  to  gather  around 
the  bows  of  the  Lobster.  One  of  goodly  size,  possessed  of  a 
double  portion  of  animal  spirits,  or  too  eager  to  display  his 
wonderous  activity,  made  a  circle  beneath  the  bowsprit,  which 
brought  him  near  the  stem  of  the  vessel,  and  directly  beneath 


356  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

the  feet  of  his  formidable  foe,  armed  with  the  weapon  of 
destruction. 

"  Now  for  it !  "  shouted  the  captain,  in  a  voice  of  thunder, 
as  the  harpoon  left  his  hands,  and  was  buried  deeply  in  the 
back  of  the  porpoise.  "  Haul  in  !  haul  in !  why  don't  you 
haul  in  ?  " 

"  Haul  in  !  haul  in  !  "  responded  Mr.  Westmacot,  the  mate, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  crew  in  chorus,  as  they  roused  in  the 
slack  of  the  rope,  drew  the  struggling  and  astonished  fish 
from  beneath  the  ship,  and,  after  a  severe  struggle,  hoisted 
him  up  to  the  bowsprit, 

"  A  bowline  !  A  running  bowline  to  clap  over  his  tail !  " 
screamed  Mr.  Westmacot,  "  or  we  shall  lose  him,  —  the  har 
poon  is  drawing  out !  " 

A  running  bowline,  formed  out  of  the  fore-topmast  staysail 
down-haul,  was  thrown  over  his  tail,  notwithstanding  the  con 
vulsive  efforts  of  the  porpoise  to  free  himself  from  the  murder 
ous  iron;  the  noose  was  jammed  fast,  and  the  mate,  in  a 
triumphant  voice,  proclaimed  that  he  —  that  is,  the  fish  — 
was  safe.  In  a  few  moments  he  was  handed  in  on  deck,  by 
the  united  force  of  the  crew,  whose  white  garments  indicated, 
by  many  a  sanguinary  spot  and  streak,  the  bloody  business 
in  which  they  had  been  engaged.  Thrown  into  the  lee-scup 
pers,  the  flenching  process  commenced,  and  the  porpoise  was 
soon  stripped  of  his  jacket  of  blubber,  in  true  scientific  style. 
The  harslet,  resembling  a  pig's  in  appearance  as  well  as 
flavor,  was  carefully  preserved,  passed  over  to  the  cook,  who 
soon  had  it  ready  for  the  frying-pan,  and,  in  due  time,  it 
appeared  in  the  cabin,  and  formed  a  welcome  addition  to  the 
breakfast-table.  The  remainder  of  the  animal  was  then 
triced  up  to  the  main-stay,  for  the  use  of  any  one,  in  the 
cabin  or  forecastle,  who  was  desirous  of  regaling  on  such  fresh 
grub  as  could  be  furnished  by  the  coarse,  oily,  black,  repul 
sive-looking  flesh  of  a  porpoise, 


CALICO   JACK.  357 

I  have  said  that  the  whole  crew  of  the  Lobster  participated 
in  the  excitement  caused  by  this  incident,  and  gladly  aided  in 
capturing  the  fish.  There  was,  however,  one  exception  in  the 
shape  of  Jack  Callimanco  ;  or,  as  his  shipmates  called  him, 
Calico  Jack,  a  neat,  trig-looking,  snug-built,  warm-hearted 
tar ;  who,  by  his  courage  and  activity  in  times  of  peril,  and 
his  kindness  and  good  humor  in  pleasant  weather,  was  a 
favorite  with  all  on  board.  But  greatly  to  the  astonishment 
of  the  crew,  during  the  hubbub,  noise  and  confusion,  caused 
by  the  attack  on  the  porpoise  and  its  successful  result,  Calico 
Jack,  so  far  from  lending  a  hand,  stood  leaning  over  the  waist, 
with  his  arms  folded,  apparently  looking  into  the  depths  of  the 
ocean,  and  engaged  in  philosophical  reflections  of  the  gravest 
character. 

This  was  not  unnoticed  by  several  of  the  crew,  who,  during 
the  battle  with  the  porpoise,  were  too  busily  engaged  to  ask 
him  what  was  the  meaning  of  such  conduct ;  but,  after  the 
usual  order  and  quiet  on  board  the  Lobster  took  the  place 
of  the  interesting  proceedings  which  I  have  attempted  to 
describe,  some  of  his  shipmates  rallied  Calico  Jack  on  his 
indifference,  and  asked  why  he  did  not  lend  a  hand  to  haul  in 
the  porpoise. 

"  Ah,  shipmates  !  "  said  Jack,  with  a  doleful  grin,  "  I  have 
helped  catch  many  a  fish  in  my  day ;  but  my  fishing  days  are 
over.  I  shall  never  try  to  catch  a  fish  again,  especially  a 
porpoise." 

•'  What  is  the  reason  of  that  ? "  inquired  Sam  Stark 
weather.  "  Taking  fish  is  capital  fun.  Porpoises  are  no 
great  things,  to  be  sure,  but  even  a  porpoise  is  better  than 
nothing." 

"That's  true,"  replied.  Jack.  "A  porpoise  is  a  capital 
friend  at  a  pinch,  as  I  have  found  out  by  experience.  I  was 
once  active  enough  in  catching  fish ;  but  now  I  cannot  look 


358  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

upon  such  sport  without  disgust ;  and  I  have  sworn  never  to 
injure  a  porpoise." 

"  How  's  that  ?  "  said  Sam.  "  You  must  have  had  some 
strong  reason  for  taking  such  an  oath  ;  and  you  must  tell  us 
all  about  it,  if  you  have  to  spin  a  yarn  as  long  as  the  flying- 
jib  down-haul." 

The  hardy  crew  of  the  Lobster  gathered  around  Calico 
Jack,  insisting  on  hearing  his  story.  The  poor  fellow  held 
off  as  long  as  possible ;  but  at  last,  after  making  a  wry  face 
and  bringing  himself  to  anchor  on  the  windlass-end,  gave  in, 
saying,  "  Well,  I  suppose  I  must  spin  you  my  yarn,  if  I  hope 
for  a  quiet  life ;  and  if  you  have  any  wish  to  know  my  expe 
rience  in  fishing  in  general,  and  my  opportunities  of  studying 
the  habits  of  the  porpoise  in  particular,  lend  me  your  ears,  as 
the  monkey  said  when  he  sliced  off  the  cat's  listening  tackle 
with  one  of  the  captain's  razors." 

The  crew  gathered  around  Calico  Jack,  for  a  good  yarn 
is  the  delight  of  a  sailor.  Jack  was  popular  among  the 
ship's  company ;  could  sing  a  good  song  and  talk  like  a  hero 
They  expected  something  interesting,  and  listened  with  ex 
emplary  attention,  while  he  proceeded  with  his  fish  story  as 
follows  : 

"  It  is  now  just  three  years,  seven  months  and  nineteen 
days,  since  I  sailed  from  New  York  in  the  ship  Pocahontas, 
of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  bound  to  St.  Jago,  in  the  Cape 
de  Yerds ;  thence  to  Rio  Janeiro.  The  Pocahontas  was  a 
good  ship,  and  well  found ;  the  captain  was  an  honest  man 
and  a  real  sailor,  and  the  officers  were  not  so  bad  as  they 
might  have  been.  On  the  whole,  there  was  little  to  find  fault 
with,  for  I  doubt  not  that  all  hands  were  treated  with  as  much 
kindness  and  indulgence  as  they  deserved,  and  we  got  along 
very  harmoniously  together. 

"  As  we  drew  towards  the  Cape  de  Yerds,  the  wind  was 
light,  and  the  weather  was  pleasant,  and,  the  ship's  bottom 


CALICO   JACK.  359 

being  a  little  foul,  a  large  number  of  fish  made  their  appear 
ance  ;  dolphins,  bonetas  and  albicores.  They  seemed  to  say, 
*  Catch  me  and  eat  me,'  in  such  an  imploring  way,  while  they 
sported  in  the  water  beneath  the  bows,  that  no  man,  with  the 
heart  of  a  stock-fish,  could  possibly  withstand  the  temptation 
to  capture  them,  or  at  least  make  the  attempt.  If  I  ever  had 
a  weakness,  of  which  there  may  be  some  doubt,  it  was  an  ex 
cessive  fondness  for  fishing.  Trout  in  the  fresh  water  streams 
of  Xew  Hampshire,  my  native  State  ;  pickerel  in  her  ponds, 
cod  on  the  bank  of  Newfoundland,  barracooters  in  the  West 
Indies,  halibut  on  George's  Shoal,  porpoises  in  the  broad 
ocean,  or  dolphin  and  bonetas  in  the  tropics,  it  was  all  one  to 
Jack.  I  loved  the  sport,  and  indulged  my  fondness  for  it 
whenever  and  wherever  I  had  a  chance.  You  will  therefore 
not  be  surprised,  shipmate?,  that  I  hailed  with  great  glee  the 
appearance  of  various  kinds  of  fish  around  the  Pocahontas,  as 
we  were  drawing  up  towards  the  Cape  de  Yerd  Islands. 

"  In  those  days  I  never  went  a  voyage  to  sea  without  being 
well  provided  with  fishing-gear  of  all  kind.-.  I  had  hooks  of 
various  sizes,  from  a  halibut  hook,  double  shanked  for  an  albi- 
core,  and  ganged  with  stout  wire,  down  to  a  hook  small  enough 
to  catch  a  rudder  fish  ;  and  many  were  the  hours  of  my  watch 
below,  I  passed  on  the  flying-jib-boom  end,  trying  to  hook  a 
boneta  ;'  or  on  the  martingale,  with  the  grainse,  attempting 
to  strike  a  dolphin.  And  as  neither  the  captain  nor  the  mates 
cared  much  about  fishing,  I  had  it  pretty  much  all  my  own 
way. 

"  One  unlucky  day,  after  we  had  made  Bonavista,  and 
were  standing  in  for  St.  Jago,  with  a  moderate  breeze,  I 
heard  a  cry  on  deck,  of  '  Dolphin  ;  —  two  big  dolphin  right 
under  the  bows  ! '  It  was  about  six  bells  in  the  afternoon, 
I  was  busily  engaged  in  making  up  some  old  duck  into  a  pair 
of  trousers,  at  the  time ;  but  the  moment  I  heard  the  words 
'  big  dolphin,'  I  dropped  my  duck  like  a  red-hot  marlinspike, 


360  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

took  a  couple  of  large  hooks,  stoutly  ganged,  out  of  my  chest, 
instinctively  put  them  in  my  pocket,  and  rushed  on  deck. 

"  '  Where  are  the  dolphins  ? '  I  exclaimed,  as  I  seized  the 
grainse,  which  was  lying  on  the  forecastle.  But  at  that  mo 
ment  a  black  squall  was  rapidly  rising  to  windward,  and  the 
watch  were  too  busy  in  taking  in  sail  to  attend  to  my  ques 
tions.  I  sprang  up  between  the  knight-heads,  and  in  less  than 
two  minutes  I  was  standing  on  the  lower  martingale  stay,  with 
one  arm  around  the  martingale.  I  saw  one  of  the  dolphin  ;  a 
big  fellow  he  was,  too  !  The  squall  was  close  aboard  of  us, 
coming  thick  and  heavy;  and  I  was  too  eager  to  secure  my 
fish,  to  attend  properly  to  my  own  safety !  I  made  a  furious 
throw  at  the  dolphin,  with  what  effect  I  know  not,  for  with 
the  effort  I  missed  my  hold,  and  fell  overboard  !  The  squall 
struck  the  ship  at  the  same  time,  and  as  the  old  Pocahontas 
flew  past  me  while  I  was  struggling  in  the  foam,  I  heard  one 
of  my  shipmates  cry  out,  in  a  voice  of  terror,  « A  man  over 
board  ! '  at  the  same  time  that  the  captain  shouted  in  a  voice 
of  thunder,  «  Let  go  the  topsail  halliards,  fore  and  aft ! ' 

"  I  was  a  good  swimmer,  and  a  hen-coop  from  the  quarter 
deck  was  tossed  overboard  at  once,  which  I  paddled  towards 
in  quick  time,  and  got  hold  of;  but  the  squall  blew  with  great 
violence,  and  was  attended  with  considerable  rain.  Of  course 
I  lost  sight  of  the  ship  in  a  few  minutes,  and  I  saw  with  a 
glance  that  there  was  but  a  slender  chance  for  poor  Pilgar- 
lick ;  and  let  me  tell  you,  shipmates,  there  are  many  better 
berths  for  an  honest  fellow  in  this  life,  than  to  be  struggling 
alone  in  the  wide  ocean,  in  the  midst  of  a  heavy  squall,  with 
nothing  to  buoy  you  up  but  a  hen-coop,  and  no  ship  in  sight ! 
I  hope  you  may  never  have  occasion  to  try  it. 

"  The  squall  lasted  for  an  hour,  and  raised  such  a  commo 
tion  among  the  waves,  that  I  could  hardly  retain  my  station 
on  the  hen-coop,  and  I  was  sometimes  compelled  to  swallow 
more  salt  water  than  was  altogether  agreeable,  or  good  for 


CALICO    JACK.  361 

one's  health.  When  the  weather  cleared  up,  I  raised  my 
head  as  high  out  of  water  as  I  could,  and  looked  around 
for  the  ship ;  but  no  ship  was  in  sight !  The  Pocahontas 
had  gone  on  her  way  rejoicing,  and  left  Jack  Calimanco 
behind  ! 

"  But  a  true  sailor  will  never  despair ;  he  will  never  dowse 
his  flag  so  long  as  there  is  a  shot  left  in  the  locker;  and  although, 
as  night  was  coming  on,  and  matters  looked  rather  dark  and 
dreary,  I  really  wished  myself  on  the  deck  of  a  good  ship,  yet 
I  called  philosophy  to  my  aid,  and  reflected  that  my  condition, 
though  bad  enough  in  all  conscience,  might  have  been  worse. 
I  still  had  a  hen-coop  to  cling  to  through  the  night,  and  I 
might  by  an  extraordinary  piece  of  good  luck  be  picked  up 
by  a  drogher  or  some  other  vessel  in  the  morning.  It  is  true, 
it  would  sometimes  occur  to  me  that  my  legs  dangling  in  the 
water  would  make  a  nice  morsel  for  a  hungry  shark ;  and  also 
that,  as  few  vessels  ever  crossed  the  spot  where  I  was,  the 
chances  of  being  snatched  from  the  clutches  of  Davy  Jones 
were  about  one  out  of  a  thousand.  But  I  stoutly  resisted  all 
such  gloomy  forebodings,  and  inwardly  resolved  to  do  all  that 
a  man  could  do  to  save  my  life,  and  if,  after  all,  I  should  be 
drowned,  it  would  be  through  no  fault  of  my  own. 

"  That  was  a  long  night,  shipmates,  that  I  passed  on  the 
hen-coop.  It  seemed  like  half  a  dozen  nights  spliced  into  one. 
At  daylight  next  morning  no  vessel  was  in  sight,  and  I  was 
getting  somewhat  fatigued  and  hungry.  Hour  after  hour 
passed,  and  my  prospects  were  as  dismal  as  ever.  The  wind 
had  died  away ;  it  was  a  dead  calm,  and  this,  although  it 
made  my  situation  on  the  raft  more  comfortable  than  during 
a  stiff  breeze,  diminished  my  chances  of  escape,  as  no  vessel 
could  come  to  my  rescue. 

"  It  was,  as  near  as  I  can  calculate,  about  four  bells  in  the 
afternoon,  while  I  was  lounging  on  my  hen-coop,  with  my 
head  under  my  wing,  and  thinking  whether  it  was  likely  I 
31 


SO2  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

should  ever  again  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  salt  jurik  and 
mouldy  biscuit  in  a  ship's  forecastle,  that  I  was  startled  by  a 
noise  which  sounded  like  the  blowing  of  a  porpoise.  I  looked 
up,  and  beheld  an  immense  shoal  of  those  noble  fish,  coming 
from  the  south,  in  a  direct  line  towards  me,  on  their  way  to 
better  marine  pasturage,  perhaps  thousands  of  miles  off.  I 
had  no  inclination  at  that  moment  to  harm  them,  and  I  pre 
sume  they  had  no  wish  to  harm  me.  I  supposed,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  they  would  not  notice  so  insignificant  a  being  as 
Jack  Calimanco  on  a  hen-coop,  but  push  forward  on  their 
journey  as  quick  as  possible. 

"But  I  was  out  in  my  reckoning.  The  porpoises  saw  the  hen 
coop,  and  a  sailor  hanging  to  it,  —  a  novel  sight,  which  roused 
their  curiosity,  and  they  crowded  around  as  if  determined  to 
fathom  the  mystery.  I  did  not  like  such  close  companion 
ship  with  the  rascals,  and  made  a  great  splashing  in  the  water 
to  keep  them  at  a  respectable  distance.  But  it  was  of  no  use. 
It  was  not  often  that  an  opportunity  offered  to  make  acquaint 
anceship  with  an  old  salt,  and  they  seemed  resolved  to  improve 
the  present  .chance.  They  forgot  the  object  of  their  journey, 
and  the  importance  of  despatch,  and  jostled  one  another  in 
their  efforts  to  get  near,  and  find  out  what  was  going  on. 
'  Ah  ! '  thought  I  to  myself,  '  my  fine  fellows,  if  I  was  now 
standing  on  the  bow  of  a  good  ship  with  a  harpoon  in  my  fist, 
I  would  tickle  your  curiosity  to  some  purpose  ! ' 

"  They  crowded  nearer  and  nearer.  At  length,  one  big 
fellow,  who  seemed  a  sort  of  king  among  them,  made  a  dash 
towards  me,  and  thrust  his  ugly  nozzle  between  my  legs,  giv 
ing  at  the  same  time  a  snort,  whether  of  triumph,  admiration 
or  surprise,  I  cannot  tell,  which  scattered  the  water  all  over 
me.  At  this  moment,  provoked  at  the  rascal's  impudence,  I 
recollected  the  fish-hooks  in  my  pocket,  and,  as  he  turned  and 
attempted  to  repeat  the  manoeuvre,  with  admirable  presence  of 
mind,  —  a  quality  which  never  forsakes  me,  shipmates,  in  any 


CALICO    JACK. 


363 


strait, —  I  thrust  a  fish-hook  into  each  of  his  jowls,  just  forward 
of  his  eyes,  and  held  hard  on  the  ganging  !  At  the  same  mo 
ment,  I  dropped  upon  his  back,  seated  myself  firmly  in  the 
saddle,  and  hauled  taut  upon  both  parts  of  the  bridle !  In 


this  way  I  kept  his  head  to  the  water's  surface,  and  easily 
defeated  his  desperate  attempts  to  plunge  into  the  depths 
below.  Finding  himself  foiled  in  all  his  efforts  to  unseat  me, 
he  suddenly  started  off  in  an  easterly  direction,  as  if  a  shovel- 
nosed  shark  of  the  largest  size  was  after  him  ! 

"  The  hen-coop  I  soon  lost  sight  of;  and  the  other  por 
poises,  astonished  at  my  unexpected  conduct,  and  not  know 
ing  what  I  might  be  tempted  to  do  next,  scattered  in  every 
direction ;  and  there  was  I,  scouring  over  the  ocean  waves 


364  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

at  the  rate  of  some  twelve  or  fifteen  knots,  on  the  back  of  a 
porpoise  ! 

"  My  situation  was  a  novel  one.  It  required  no  little 
strength  and  skill  to  manage  my  courser,  keep  his  nose  at  the 
water's  edge,  and  steer  him  in  the  right  direction  ;  but  I  felt 
that  my  chance  of  getting  out  of  Davy  Jones's  clutches  this 
time  was  far  better  on  the  porpoise's  back,  than  when  cling 
ing  to  a  hen-coop,  half  buried  in  salt  water,  out  of  sight  of 
land. 

"  I  knew  that  the  island  of  St.  Jago  could  not  be  more  than 
thirty  miles  off  in  a  south-east  direction  ;  for  I  had  heard  the 
captain  say  so  to  the  chief  mate,  after  he  marked  the  ship's 
place  on  the  chart  that  afternoon ;  and  I  tried  hard  to  steer 
my  ship  for  St.  Jago,  by  keeping  the  sun  well  on  the  larboard 
quarter.  But  I  had  tough  work.  I  would  rather  be  rattling 
down  the  top-gallant  rigging  in  a  hurricane,  or  lying  to  in 
Massachusetts  bay  in  a  north-east  snow-storm,  with  the  deck 
and  rigging  covered  with  ice,  than  to  manage  a  headstrong 
porpoise,  with  a  bridle  without  a  curb.  With  all  my  efforts, 
I  could  not  prevent  his  broaching  to  occasionally,  and  his  wake 
was  as  crooked  as  the  track  in  the  snow  of  an  old  man-of-war's 
man  who  had  just  been  paid  off ! 

"Such  wild  steering  lengthened  my  distance  considerably  ; 
nevertheless,  in  about  an  hour  I  looked  out  sharp  for  land  ; 
but  it  was  full  two  hours  before  •!  saw  it,  rising,  as  it  were, 
all  at  once,  high  out  of  the  ocean,  about  three  points  on  the 
starboard  bow,  and  not  more  than  nine  or  ten  miles  off".  A 
noble  landfall !  And  a  glad  sight  it  was,  shipmates,  I  assure 
you,  for  I  longed  to  finish  my  ride ;  and  I  gave  the  old  fellow 
beneath  me  a  nudge  or  two  to  quicken  his  paces,  and  away  he 
went  again  as  if  a  grampus  had  kicked  him  in  end. 

"  As  we  drew  in  towards  the  land,  I  spied  a  little  open  bay, 
lined  with  a  white  sandy  beach,  back  of  which  were  erected 
some  dwelling-houses ;  arid  on  this  spot  I  at  once  made  up 


CALICO    JACK.  365 

my  mind  to  beach  my  craft ;  so  I  stood  in  directly  for  the 
bay.  My  appearance  at  this  time,  coming  in  from  the  open 
sea  at  a  furious  rate,  with  half  or  two  thirds  of  my  body  out 
of  water,  must  have  been  singularly  striking,  and  calculated 
to  attract  attention.  At  all  events,  it  seriously  alarmed  the 
quiet  inhabitants  of  this  little  village.  They  gathered  on  the 
shore,  men,  women,  and  children,  to  the  number  of  fifteen  or 
twenty,  armed  with  old  muskets,  cutlasses,  hatchets,  and  har 
poons,  prepared  to  oppose  my  landing  by  force  of  arms,  if 
necessary.  They  looked  so  formidable  and  threatening  that, 
if  I  could  have  had  my  own  way,  I  should  have  hove  to, 
within  hail  of  the  shore,  and  held  a  parley.  But  my  faithful 
friend,  to  whom  I  was  so  firmly  attached,  would  stand  for  no 
ceremony,  but  dashed  forward  with  increasing  speed  towards 
the  shore.  I  had  only  time  to  wave  my  hand,  and  shout, 
lustily,  *  Amiga  !  amigo  !  '  before  I  found  the  porpoise  had 
run  himself  upon  the  beach,  hard  and  fast,  with  me  on  his 
back  ! 

"  I  never  saw  folks  so  astonished  as  those  Portuguese  were. 
One  among  them  could  speak  some  English,  and  to  him  I 
made  an  explanation,  which  was  satisfactory,  and  received 
with  cheers  and  acclamations  by  the  whole  company.  The 
porpoise  also  came  in  for  a  share  of  their  admiration.  They 
admired  his  noble  size  and  plump  proportions,  and  although  I 
begged  hard  for  his  life,  wishing  to  return  him  safe  and  sound 
to  his  native  element,  I  soon  saw  it  was  of  no  use;  his  fate 
Avas  settled ;  and,  as  the  sun  went  down,  they  were  feasting 
on  his  carcass  and  trying  out  his  blubber.  Poor  old  fellow ! 
I  shall  never  forget  him !  (and  Jack  wiped  a  tear  from  his 
eye  with  his  starboard  flipper.) 

"  Those  people  treated  me  kindly,  and  the  next  day  carried 
me  over  to  Port  Praya,  into  which  harbor  the   Pocahontas 
was  just  entering.     I  borrowed  a  boat,  pulled  alongside,  and 
asked  the  captain  if  he  wanted  a  pilot. 
31* 


866  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

"The  captain  looked  hard  at  me,  and  answered,  rather 
gruffly,  '  No  ! ' 

"  I  had  a  '  sombrero  '  hat  on,  which  a  kind-hearted  native 
had  given  me,  and  the  skipper  did  n't  know  me.  *  Never 
mind,'  said  I,  '  I  shall  come  aboard ! ' 

"  The  tone  of  my  voice,  which  is  not  a  common  one,  both 
ered  him,  and  he  watched  me  closely  as  I  passed  over  the 
side;  but  I  had  no  sooner  jumped  from  the  gunwale  on  deck, 
lifted  my  « sombrero '  from  my  head,  and,  with  a  bow,  said, 
quietly,  '  I  have  come  aboard,  sir  ! '  than  he  threw  his  hat 
half  way  up  to  the  main-top,  cut  a  regular  pigeon-wing,  and 
called  out,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  « It  is  CALICO  JACK,  as  sure 
as  my  name  is  Jeremiah  Thompson  ! ' 

"  The  cruise  on  my  own  hook  was  ended,  and  I  was  glad 
enough  to  find  myself  once  more  on  the  deck  of  the  good  old 
ship  Pocahontas.  But,  shipmates,  since  that  time,  I  have 
abandoned  in  disgust  the  sport  of  catching  fish  at  sea,  and  as 
for  lending  a  hand  to  harpoon  a  porpoise,  I  would  as  soon 
send  an  iron  through  the  best  friend  I  have  in  the  world  !  " 


PETER  THE   GREAT; 
/ 

OR     THE 
AUDIENCE    IX    THE    MAIX-TOP. 

One  foot  upon  the  rattling, 

One  hand  upon  the  shroud, 
One  doubtful  look  aloft, 

And  thus  they  cried  aloud,  — 
"  Excelsior  ! " 

AMONG  the  illustrious  men  whose  names  are  recorded  in 
adamantine  characters  on  the  page  of  history,  there  is  prob 
ably  no  one  more  remarkable,  in  many  points  of  view,  or  who 
is  more  entitled  to  the  admiration  of  mankind,  for  the  vigor 
of  his  intellect,  for  the  energy  of  his  character,  for  the  un 
bending  firmness  with  which  he  prosecuted  his  designs,  for 
the  variety  and  profundity  of  his  knowledge,  and  for  the  zeal 
and  wisdom  which  characterized  his  purposes  to  promote  the 
happiness  of  his  people,  than  the  powerful,  despotic  Czar  of 
Russia,  Peter  the  First,  surnamed,  with  propriety,  "the 
Great."  When,  still  quite  a  youth,  he  ascended  the  throne 
of  that  vast  empire,  he  found  the  country  distracted  by  fac 
tions,  and  impoverished  by  civil  and  foreign  wars.  He  was 
called  upon  to  govern  a  barbarous  people,  among  whom  the 
arts  and  sciences  were  almost  unknown,  and  who,  bound  to 
their  separate  chiefs,  or  nobles,  by  ties  of  interest  or  self- 
preservation,  were  but  little  accustomed  to  venerate  the  actual 
monarch,  who  occupied  a  tottering  throne. 


368  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

Peter  was  young  when  he  was  first  vested  with  the  sover 
eign  power.  His  education  had  been  purposely  neglected ; 
his  mind  had  never  been  disciplined,  nor  his  intellect  improved. 
He  had  led  a  life  of  idleness  and  pleasure,  and  had  associated 
only  with  the  ignorant  and  dissolute,  giving  free  scope  to  his 
animal  passions.  But,  when  he  unexpectedly  found  himself 
enthroned  in  the  palace  of  the  Czars,  a  sudden  and  mighty 
change  seemed  to  have  been  effected  in  his  character ;  the 
energies  and  powers  of  his  mind,  which  till  then  had  lain 
dormant,  were  called  into  action.  He  was  aware  of  the  re 
sponsibility  of  his  situation,  as  the  head  of  a  vast  and  popu 
lous  empire,  and  resolved,  from  that  moment,  to  devote  him 
self  to  the  improvement  and  happiness  of  his  subjects,  to 
introduce  radical  reforms  into  the  customs  and  manners  of  the 
people,  and  into  the  departments  of  the  state  and  the  church. 

He  was  aware  that,  to  'succeed  in  this  undertaking,  he  had 
formidable  obstacles  to  overcome ;  and  he  wisely  commenced 
the  great  work  by  improving  his  own  education,  and  reform 
ing  himself.  He  applied  himself  assiduously  to  the  study  of 
military  tactics  and  political  economy,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
gained,  apparently  with  little  effort,  a  knowledge  of  the  Ger 
man,  French,  and  English  languages ;  and,  by  the  free  dis 
tribution  of  honors  and  rewards,  encouraged  important  im 
provements  in  the  mechanic  arts,  or  in  the  more  difficult 
sciences.  He  labored,  also,  to  restore  peace  to  his  distracted 
country ;  and,  above  all,  to  repress  and  prevent  all  inte? 
commotions,  by  elevating  the  condition  of  the  peasantry,  ai. 
restricting  the  colossal  power  of  the  "  Boyards,"  landholders 
of  princely  rank,  who  had,  previously,  often  rebelled  against 
the  sovereign  power. 

Owing  to  his  unremitted  industry,  and  the  force  of  a  power 
ful  intellect,  aided  by  an  indomitable  will,  he  was,  in  a  great 
measure,  successful ;  and,  after  he  had  restored  comparative 
tranquillity  to  his  dominions,  he  resolved  to  visit  other  coun- 


PETER    THE    CHEAT.  369 

tries,  and  witness  the  blessings  of  civilization,  and  gain  a 
thorough  practical  knowledge  of  various  mechanic  arts,  and 
thus  prepare  himself  for  instructing  his  subjects  in  matters 
calculated  to  strengthen  the  government,  promote  industry, 
and  contribute  to  the  elevation  and  happiness  of  all  classes. 
Accordingly,  having  made  the  necessary  arrangements  for  the 
due  administration  of  the  laws  during  a  long  absence,  in  the 
year  1697,  in  the  twenty-sixth  year  of  his  age,  he  commenced 
his  travels  in  quest  of  useful  practical  knowledge,  and  min 
gled  in  the  suite  of  his  ambassadors,  without  any  personal 
attendants,  excepting  a  secretary,  a  valet-de-chambre,  and  a 
favorite  dwarf! 

The  einbassade,  composed  in  all  of  about  two  hundred  per 
sons,  passed  through  Livonia,  which  then  belonged  to  Sweden, 
through  Prussia,  the  confines  of  Germany,  to  Holland,  and 
was  everywhere  received  with  hospitality  and  great  marks  of 
respect.  Some  of  the  ambassadors  and  princes  in  the  train 
were  clad  in  vestments  of  extraordinary  magnificence,  but 
the  Czar  himself  was  habited  in  a  plain  German  costume.  He 
entered  Amsterdam  some  days  before  the  embassy,  and  took 
private  lodgings.  A  few  days  afterwards,  arrayed  in  the 
costume  of  a  mechanic,  he  visited  the  village  of  Saardam, 
situated  on  the  Zuyder  Zee,  a  few  miles  from  the  capital, 
where  ship-building  was  at  that  time  carried  on  on  a  large 
scale.  At  this  period  the  Dutch  were  celebrated  for  the 
excellence  of  their  ships,  possessing  a  formidable  navy,  and 
engaged  in  extensive  commerce  to  every  part  of  the  globe. 

It  was  at  Saardam  that  Peter  commenced  his  labors  as  a 
mechanic.  He  put  himself  under  the  orders  of  a  master- 
workman,  associated  with  the  carpenters,  lodged  with  them, 
and  worked  with  them,  doing  his  part  in  labors  of  every  de 
scription.  He  thus  acquired,  in  a  short  time,  a  practical 
knowledge  of  the  art  of  ship-building.  He- worked,  also,  in 
the  blacksmith's  shop,  blew  the  bellows  and  handled  the 


370  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

sledge-hammer ;  he  aided  in  the  rope-walks,  and  gained  all 
necessary  information  respecting  the  manufacture  of  cordage, 
and  passed  some  of  his  time  in  laboring  in  the  saw-mills, 
where  he  became  familiar  with  the  art  of  sawing  timber  by 
machinery,  lie  also  gained  instruction  in  the  arts  of  manu 
facturing  paper,  and  working  the  ductile  metals,  &c.  When 
Peter  commenced  his  mechanical  labors,  the  ship-builders 
were  not  a  little  astonished  at  finding  the  sovereign  of  a 
mighty  empire  voluntarily  enrolling  himself  in  the  list  of 
workmen.  They  were,  at  first,  inclined  to  treat  him  with  the 
ceremony  and  respect  due  to  his  exalted  station.  This  feeling 
of  reverence,  however,  wore  off',  and  they  soon  learned  to 
regard  him  as  one  of  their  own  number,  and  he  was  known 
among  them  by  the  familiar  appellation  of  Peterbas,  or  Master 
Peter. 

While  at  Saardam,  the  Czar  caused  a'  ship  of  sixty  guns  to 
be  built  for  himself,  and  superintended  the  work,  and,  subse 
quently,  sent  her  to  Archangel,  the  only  seaport  which  he 
then  possessed  in  the  north,  —  for  the  city  of  St.  Petersburg 
he  caused  to  be  built  several  years  afterwards.  He  resided  a 
short  time  at  Amsterdam,  to  gain  a  knowledge  of  the  art  of 
surgery,  and  studied  with  the  celebrated  anatomist,  Ruysch, 
and  also  received  instruction  in  medicine  from  a  distinguished 
physician  of  Amsterdam. 

While  residing  in  Holland,  Peter  did  not  neglect  the  public 
interests  of  his  own  country.  While  handling  the  compass 
and  the  saw  at  Saardam,  he  was  maturing  schemes  which  had 
a  mighty  influence  on  the  destinies  of  Poland,  and  from  his 
humble  workshop  he  sent  despatches  promising  to  aid  Augus 
tus,  Elector  of  Saxony,  with  thirty  thousand  men.  From 
the  same  place  he  issued  orders  for  the  assemblage  of  a  large 
army  in  the  Ukraine,  to  take  ground  against  the  Turks. 

Such  was  Peter  the  Great,  of  Russia  !  I  only  intended  to 
write  a  paragraph,  introductory  to  an  incident  recorded  in 


PETER    THE    GEE  AT.  371 

the  life  of  this  illustrious  monarch,  the  details  of  which  I 
believe  are  not  generally  known  to  the  world,  and  I  find 
myselfinsensibly  engaged  in  writing  his  biography. 

In  common  with  almost  every  traveller  who  has  been  to 
Holland,  I  have  seen  the  village  of  Saardam,  and  the  humble 
workshop  and  lodging-house  of  the  Czar,  which  are  still 
pointed  out  with  manifestations  of  pride  and  exultation  by 
the  worthy  and  hospitable  inhabitants.  But  the  village  is 
not  now  as  flourishing  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  the  Czar. 
Holland,  which  at  that  time  was  equal  to  any  nation  as  a 
maritime  power,  has  wofully  degenerated  in  this  respect. 
England,  France,  Spain,  as  well  as  our  own  country,  are 
greatly  her  superior,  and  Saardam  has  declined  in  population 
and  the  enterprise  of  the  inhabitants,  in  proportion  as  Hol 
land  has  declined  as  a  naval  power.  But,  still,  an  interest 
is  attached  to  the  place,  which  makes  it  an  important  object 
in  the  eyes  of  travellers ;  and  there  one,  without  being  a  "  mel 
ancholy  Jaques,"  could  sit  and  moralize  for  hours. 

But  to  my  story.  Peter,  as  I  have  already  ^intimated, 
while  working  as  a  carpenter,  or  blacksmith,  at  Saardam,  did 
not  endeavor  to  preserve  his  incognito.  It  was  soon  known 
to  every  court  in  Europe  that  the  Czar  of  Russia  was  resid 
ing  in  Holland  ;  and  although  the  different  European  mon- 
archs  were,  at  that  time,  unable  to  appreciate  his  character, 
as  manifested  by  his  voluntary  labors,  and  sacrifices  of  pomp 
and  personal  comforts,  they  respected  him  as  the  powerful 
and  energetic  head  of  a  mighty  empire,  and  most  of  the 
European  monarchs  sent  to  him,  with  much  display  and  cere 
mony,  ambassadors,  tendering  him  their  respects,  and  inviting 
him  to  visit  their  respective  courts. 

William  of  England,  however,  was  dilatory  in  thus  evinc 
ing  his  respect  for  the  Czar,  much  to  the  dissatisfaction  of  the 
Russian  monarch,  who  was  particularly  desirous  of  being  on 
the  most  friendly  terms  with  the  English  king.  At  length, 


372  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

after  waiting  impatiently  for  several  months,  the  Czar  learned, 
with  much  gratification,  that  King  William  was  aboat  to  send 
three  ambassadors,  selected  from  among  the  most  distinguished 
noblemen,  and  attended  by  a  brilliant  cortege,  to  do  honor  to 
Peter  of  Russia.  The  Czar,  with  a  spirit  of  eccentricity, 
which  he  not  unfrequently  exhibited,  resolved  to  teach  these 
envoys  a  lesson  which  they  would  not  soon  forget,  and  punish 
them  in  a  whimsical  manner  for  their  tardiness. 

When  the  ambassadors  reached  Amsterdam,  they  were 
astonished  to  learn  that  Peter  was  at  Saardam,  busily  engaged 
in  building  a  ship,  which  was  nearly  finished,  and  that  he 
would  be  delighted  to  see  them  at  that  place.  The  English 
noblemen,  who  expected  to  be  received  at  Amsterdam  with 
the  pomp  and  ceremony  corresponding  to  the  character  of 
their  mission,  were  not  a  little  embarrassed  by  this  informa 
tion,  but  set  off,  post-haste,  for  Saardam,  to  find  the  carpenter 
monarch,  and  sent  an  avant  courrier  with  despatches,  an 
nouncing  their  intentions.  They  reached  Saardam  at  the 
appointed  hour,  but,  to  their  great  surprise,  were  informed 
that  the  Czar  was  then  on  board  his  ship,  where  he  awaited 
their  arrival,  and  was  impatient  to  give  them  an  audience. 
They  were  also  informed  that  a  boat  was  in  waiting  at  the 
ship-yard  to  put  them  alongside. 

The  English  dignitaries  hardly  knew  what  to  think  of  this 
affair.  There  were  no  precedents  by  which  to  frame  their 
line  of  conduct.  They  were  desirous,  for  many  reasons,  to 
have  an  interview  with  the  Czar,  and  were  great  sticklers  for 
etiquette;  yet,  after  a  hurried  consultation,  they  determined  to 
flatter  the  whims  of  the  barbarian  monarch,  and  visit  him  on 
board  his  ship.  A  couple  of  burley-looking  Dutchmen,  in  a 
large  and  clumsy  boat,  pulled  off  the  ambassadors,  and  a  por 
tion  of  their  suite.  They  were  received  at  the  gangway  by  a 
man  dressed  in  the  costume  of  a  sailor,  who,  in  a  rough  man 
ner  welcomed  them  on  board.  Wondering  at  their  singular 


PETER    THE    GREAT.  373 

reception,  but  supposing  it  a  specimen  of  Russian  manners, 
they  inquired  for  the  Czar,  and  their  consternation  was 
actually  ludicrous,  when  the  sailor,  with  a  knowing  grin, 
pointed  to  the  main-top,  and  assured  the  grave  and  stately 
representatives  of  Albion,  that  PETERBAS  was  aloft,  where  he 
expected  the  pleasure  of  receiving  the  ambassadors  of  his 
friend  and  brother,  the  King  of  England ! 

The  ambassadors  were  stupefied  at  this  arrangement,  and 
gazed  at  each  other  with  despairing  looks  when  told  that  the 
hall  of  audience  of  the  Russian  monarch  was  the  main-top 
of  a  sloop  of  war.  They  could  not  conceal  their  perplexity, 
and,  indeed,  entertained  some  suspicions  that  they  were  the 
victims  of  a  hoax  ;  but  when  they  were  assured  that  the  Czar 
was  actually  in  the  main-top,  and  wished  and  expected  them 
to  climb  the  rigging,  and  introduce  themselves  to  his  presence, 
their  hearts  failed,  their  limbs  trembled,  and  they  hardly 
knew  what  course  to  adopt. 

"  What !  "  said  the  proud  and  venerable  Earl  of  Tewksbury, 
"  does  the  Czar  of  Russia  expect  me  to  climb  up  those  rope- 
ladders,  and  play  the  part  of  a  harlequin,  at  this  period  of  my 
life  ?  Tp  ascend  that  crow's  nest,  in  such  a  way,  would  not 
only  be  highly  undignified  in  a  person  of  my  rank,  but  actu 
ally  impossible." 

"  No,"  said  Sir  Nicholas  Granger,  with  a  spice  of  indigna 
tion,  as  well  as  sorrow  in  his  tone,  "  this  is  a  most  unreason 
able  exaction  on  the  part  of  the  Czar.  For  my  part,"  con 
tinued  the  knight,  taking  a  survey  of  his  portly  proportions, 
and  then  glancing  at  the  shrouds,  "  I  should  as  soon  think  of 
flying,  as  of  going  aloft  to  the  main-top  by  means  of  the  rig 
ging.  No ;  if  I  get  there,  they  must  hoist  me  up  by  pul 
leys." 

Upon  further  inquiry,  they  satisfied  themselves  that  they 
must  visit  the  bear  in  his  den,  elevated  as  it  was,  or  return 
to  England  without  accomplishing  the  object  of  their  mission. 
32 


374 


SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 


They  hesitated  a  few  moments,  uncertain  which  horn  of  the 
dilemma  to  seize ;  but  Lord  Gower,  the  youngest  of  the  party, 
who  had  once  been  as  far  as  Constantinople  in  a  ship  of  war, 
and  who,  therefore,  boasted  of  his  nautical  experience,  sug 
gested  that  there  was  nothing  so  very  alarming  or  dangerous  in 
the  Czar's  request ;  that  it  was  neither  a  frolic  nor  a  hoax, 
but  a  mark  of  respect  to  a  great  maritime  government,  to 
receive  her  envoys  in  a  noble  ship  ;  and  that  if  they  should 
refuse  his  invitation  to  go  aloft,  and  hold  a  personal  inter 
view,  after  having  proceeded  thus  far,  the  Czar  would  construe 
it  into  an  insult,  take  umbrage,  and  a  war  between  the  two 
powers  of  England  and  Russia  must  be  the  inevitable  result. 


These  arguments  had  due  weight,  and  the  other  ambassa 
dors,  with  sour  looks  and  an  ungracious  grunt,  at  length  sig- 


PETER   THE    GREAT.  -       375 

nified  their  reluctant  assent  to  the  arrrangement,  and  prepared 
to  "  go  up  the  rigging,"  —  a  feat  which  is  somewhat  awkward 
and  difficult,  even  to  a  young  and  active  landsman,  and  was 
truly  appalling  to  those  venerable  and  heavy-moulded  noble- 
nien.  It  was  an  act  of  devotion  to  their  country  and  their 
king,  of  which  we  can  hardly  find  a  parallel  in  the  pages  of 
history. 

They  heroically  mounted  the  gunwale,  Lord  Gower  leading 
the  way  ;  and  they  were  also  assisted  by  the  rough,  nautical- 
looking  personage  who  received  them  at  the  gangway,  and  who 
subsequently  proved  to  be  the  celebrated  Le  Fort,  one  of  the 
most  faithful  and  able  among  the  counsellors  and  friends  of 
the  Russian  monarch.  They  got  upon  the  ratlings,  and  slowly 
ascended,  panting  for  breath,  and  pausing  in  their  career 
every  few  moments.  They  were  gazed  at  with  admiration  by 
the  crew  and  officers  on  the  deck  of  the  ship,  who  could 
hardly  help  cheering  them  in  their  arduous  undertaking ;  and, 
after  a  rather  unreasonable  time,  they  reached,  breathless 
with  fatigue,  the  cat-harping>.  Here,  clinging  convulsively 
to  the  futtock  shrouds,  they  tarried  awhile  to  recover  breath, 
and  constilt  upon  what  was  next  to  be  done.  To  climb  the 
futtock  shrouds,  and  pass  over  the  top  rim,  outside,  they,  with 
one  voice,  decided  was  impossible,  when  Lord  Gower,  with  a 
triumphant  shout,  pointed  out  the  lubber's  hole,  of  which  he 
had  often  heard,  and  —  the  pen  is  reluctant  to  record  it  — 
these  proud  representatives  of  a  great  kingdom,  of  a  power 
which  aimed  to  become  the  sovereign  of  the  seas,  —  were 
actually  so  lost  to  shame  and  a  sense  of  true  dignity,  as  to 
crawl  into  the  main-top  through  the  hibber's  hole !  This  fact 
has  never  been  recorded  in  the  naval  annals  of  Great  Britain, 
or,  if  it  was  faithfully  recorded  at  the  time  it  occurred,  it  has 
since  been  carefully  expunged. 

Peter  was  quietly  seated  on  an  arm-chest,  as,  one  following 
another,  the  ambassadors  entered  his  presence,  actually 


376  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

creeping  on  their  hands  and  knees.  He  received  them  with 
much  grace  and  dignity,  with  a  grave  demeanor,  as  if  noth 
ing  extraordinary  had  taken  place ;  and,  by  the  affability  of 
his  manners  and  the  charms  of  his  conversation,  he  soon  made 
them  forget  the  perplexities  which  they  had  so  recently  ex 
perienced,  and  the  dangers  through  which  they  had  passed. 

After  passing  half  an  hour  very  pleasantly  in  the  top,  the 
meeting,  at  the  suggestion  of  Peter,  was  adjourned  to  the 
cabin  ;  and  the  descent  from  the  "  bad  eminence,"  which  they 
had  attained  with  so  much  toil  and  peril,  was  accomplished, 
under  the  direction  of  the  Czar  himself,  with  much  less  diffi 
culty  than  they  had  anticipated. 

Peter  subsequently  visited  England  in  a  plain,  unpretend 
ing  way,  resided  for  a  time  at  Deptford,  and  devoted  him 
self  to  the  prosecution  of  his  studies  in  the  mechanic  arts. 
Here  he  applied  himself  to  the  theory  of  ship-building ;  and 
soon  became  a  great  proficient  in  the  art.  He  also  studied  in 
London  the  art  of  horology,  or  of  making  clocks  arid  watches, 
which  had  then  attained  great  perfection  in  England.  In 
deed,  during  his  visit  to  Holland  and  England,  a  space  of 
time  not  exceeding  two  years,  there  was  hardly  any  "kind  of 
business  important  to  the  interests  of  a  kingdom,  from  the 
casting  of  a  cannon,  to  the  spinning  of  a  thread,  of  which  he 
did  not  obtain  a  practical  knowledge,  and  afterwards  at 
tempted,  in  almost  all  cases  successfully,  to  introduce  into  his 
own  country. 

The  subsequent  events  in  the  life  of  this  extraordinary 
man,  his  return  to  Russia,  his  wars  with  Charles  XII.,  of 
Sweden,  his  marriage  with  an  obscure  Livonian  girl,  who, 
afterwards  proved  herself  in  every  way  worthy  to  be  the 
partner  of  his  throne ;  his  construction  of  the  city  of  St. 
Petersburg,  and  the  magnificent  port  of  Cronstadt ;  the  con 
demnation  of  his  son,  Alexis  Petrovitz,  —  a  blot  upon  his 
character  which  cannot  be  effaced  ;  his  various  wars,  and 


PETER    THE    GREAT. 


377 


victories  over  the  Persian,  Turkish,  and  other  powers,  and  his 
death,  in  1725,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of  fifty-three 
years,  will  be  found  faithfully  chronicled  in  the  biographies 
of  this  eminent  monarch. 

His  name  is  embalmed  in  the  memories  of  the  Russians, 
who  regard  him  —  and  justly  —  as  the  benefactor  of  his 
country.  In  the  public  Museum  of  St.  Petersburg  are  de 
posited  many  curious  and  interesting  articles,  which  were 
once  the  property  of  the  Czar,  and  are  shown  to  visitors  with 
a  manifestation  of  respect  which  can  only  be  surpassed  by  the 
reverence  of  a  Roman  Catholic  devotee  for  the  relics  of  his 
favorite  saints. 


• 


32* 


CAPTURE   OF   AN   INDIAMAN. 

AN  ADVENTURE  DURING  THE  LAST  WAR. 


0,  it  is  excellent 


To  have  a  giant's  strength  ;   but  tyrannous 

To  use  it  like  a  giant  !  "  SHAKSPEARE. 

IT  is  well  known,  doubtless,  that  during  the  latest,  and  I 
hope  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain,  an  immense  injury  was 
done  to  the  British  commerce  by  American  privateers  and 
letters  of  marque.  British  ships  were  fallen  in  with  on  every 
sea.  Some,  which  were  good  sailers  and  well  found,  and  con 
tained  valuable  cargoes,  were  manned  and  ordered  to  some 
port  in  the  United  States ;  but  the  greater  part  of  the  cap 
tured  ships  were  burnt  on  the  waters  where  they  were  cap 
tured,  after  having  been  stripped  of  their  most  valuable  arti 
cles.  Such  bonfires  were  often  seen  in  the  night  on  the 
Atlantic,  on  the  Pacific,  and  on  the  Indian  Oceans ;  and  while 
they  tended  somewhat  to  cripple  the  resources  of  the  enemy, 
they  caused  a  vast  amount  of  individual  suffering,  and  plunged 
many  worthy  men,  who  perhaps  deprecated  a  war  between  the 
two  countries  as  a  great  evil  to  be  avoided  at  all  hazards,  from 
the  summit  of  affluence  to  the  lowest  depths  of  poverty.  Such 
have  been  some  of  the  natural  and  unavoidable  consequences 
of  war  !  But  we  may  venture  to  hope  that  such  scenes  will 
never  be  repeated,  and  that  privateering  will  never  hereafter 
be  sanctioned  by  any  civilized  nation. 

In  the  month  of  August,  181o,  a  beautiful  brig,  called  the 


CAPTURE  OF  AX  IXDIAMAX.  379 

Wanderer,  of  a  "  Baltimore  pilot-boat  model,"  was  despatched 
from  a  port  in  New  England,  for  the  East  Indies,  with  full 
permission  to  "  capture,  burn,  sink,  or  destroy,"  any  vessels 
belonging  to  the  enemy,  which  might  be  met  with  on  the  out 
ward  or  homeward  bound  passage.  It  was  thought,  however, 
that  the  injury  which  this  vessel  would  cause  to  the  British 
commerce  would  not  be  very  great,  for  she  was  far  better  cal 
culated  for  sailing  than  for  fighting ;  her  whole  armament 
consisting  of  only  six  twelve-pound  carronades,  while  twenty- 
five  good  seamen  comprised  all  her  effective  crew.  Neverthe 
less,  the  Wanderer  made  an  imposing  appearance  on  the  water. 
She  was  a  long,  black,  rakish-looking  craft,  heavily  sparred, 
and  ostentatiously  exhibiting  nine  port  holes  on  each  side. 
On  the  high  seas  she  would  be  easily  mistaken  by  the  enemy 
for  an  eighteen-gun  brig,  with  all  the  customary  means  and 
appurtenances. 

The  Wanderer  was  commanded  by  Charles  Wilcox,  Esq.,  a 
man  of  great  intrepidity  and  resolution,  and  who  possessed, 
among  other  characteristics  of  a  thorough  seaman,  a  noble, 
generous  heart.  He  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  although 
his  crew  were  comparatively  few  in  number,  his  vessel  was 
managed  with  admirable  skill  and  dexterity. 

On  the  outward  passage,  Captain  Wilcox  fell  in  with  a 
-number  of  British  armed  vessels,  and  was  several  times  chased 
by  their  frigates  and  sloops  of  war,  from  which  he  found  little 
difficulty  in  escaping.  When  he  fell  in  with  a  large  merchant 
ship,  or  a  government  vessel  of  small  size,  either  of  which 
would  have  been  more  than  a  match  for  the  Wanderer,  with 
her  small  armament  and  complement  of  men,  he  would  hoist 
the  "  stars  and  stripes '  at  his  trysail  peak,  and  crowd  all  sail, 
steering  directly  towards  her,  with  a  drag  astern  to  retard 
the  brig's  way,  and  preclude  the  possibility  of  getting  within 
point  blank  shot ;  while,  in  an  agony  of  fear,  the  enemy  would 
claw  of  with  all  possible  despatch  ! 


380  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

The  Wanderer  was  bound  to  China,  and  reached  Whampoa 
after  a  short  passage  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  days.  She 
succeeded  in  getting  into  port,  in  spite  of  the  British  cruisers, 
which  at  that  time  were  stationed  at  convenient  intervals 
along  the  whole  southern  coast  of  China,  and  which  succeeded 
in  entrapping  a  number  of  valuable  American  ships,  and  pre 
vented  others  from  leaving  port.  Her  arrival  caused  quite  a 
sensation  among  the  English  officers,  and  old  Commodore  Tree 
nail,  who  arrived  at  Whampoa  in  the  frigate  Salamander,  a 
few  days  afterwards,  declared,  with  a  knowing  look,  as  he 
gazed  with  an  admiring  eye  on  the  fair  proportions  of  the 
beautiful  brig,  that  although  "  Jonathan  "  had  fairly  weath 
ered  them  by  entering  the  port,  yet  he  would  find  it  a  difficult 
matter  to  get  out. 

Captain  Wilcox  anchored  his  brig  apart  from  the  other 
vessels  in  the  harbor,  and  took  pains  to  conceal  the  actual 
condition  of  his  armament  and  crew.  On  shore,  especially  in 
presence  of  British  officers,  he  talked  large,  and  impressed 
them  with  the  idea  that  the  Wanderer  was  a  crack  privateer 
of  eighteen  guns,  and  at  least  one  hundred  men.  In  the  mean 
time,  he  was  secretly  purchasing  his  cargo  of  teas  and  silks, 
and,  by  way  of  recreation,  caused  a  dozen  "  quakers,"  or 
wooden  guns,  to  be  manufactured  on  board,  and  regularly 
mounted  on  carriages  or  slides.  He  was  thus  enabled  on  gala 
days  to  show  what  appeared  to  be  a  formidable  set  of  teeth, 
although  the  greater  part  of  them  were  false  ones  ! 

One  day  Commodore  Treenail,  in  a  conversation  with  Cap 
tain  Wilcox,  expressed  a  desire  to  go  on  board  the  Wanderer. 
The  Yankee  was  aware  that  the  Commodore  merely  wished  to 
satisfy  himself  of  the  efficiency  of  his  vessel,  and  to  form  an 
opinion  of  the  result  of  any  contest  that  might  take  place 
between  the  American  brig  and  one  of  the  English  gun  brigs 
then  in  those  seas.  Nevertheless,  without  indicating  by  his 
manner  any  reluctance,  Wilcox  cordially  invited  the  British 


CAPTURE    OF    AX    IXDIAMAX.  381 

officer  to  honor  the  Wanderer  with  his  presence  the  next 
afternoon. 

Captain  Wilcox  went  immediately  on  board  the  brig,  had 
his  "  quakers  "  put  in  good  trim,  —  and  sooth  to  say,  they 
made  an  imposing  appearance  in  their  warlike  garb,  pro 
vided  with  tomkins,  aprons,  breechings,  gun-tackles  and  other 
trimmings ;  —  cannon  shot  were  arranged  conspicuously  in 
racks  about  the  bulwarks,  and  sabres,  pistols  and  boarding- 
pikes  in  great  profusion,  were  exhibited  in  gallant  array. 
Wilcox,  who  was  seldom  at  a  loss  for  expedients,  next  con 
sidered  how  he  should  make  up  for  the  occasion  the  deficiency 
in  his  crew,  and  finally  applied  to  the  captains  of  the  few 
American  vessels  in  port  for  the  loan  of  their  crews  for  a 
day  !  This  favor  was  readily  granted.  The  Wanderer  was 
soon  manned  by  some  eighty  or  ninety  as  fine  fellows  as  ever 
knotted  a  reef-point  or  puddened  an  anchor  (we  had  no  chain 
cables  in  those  days) ;  and  when  Commodore  Treenail  came  on 
board  in  his  barge,  agreeably  to  appointment,  and  passed  up 
the  accommodation  ladder,  and  over  the  gangway,  and  saw 
Buch  a  crew,  all  neatly  dressed,  at  quarters,  he  promptly  de 
cided  in  his  own  mind  that  the  Wanderer  was  calculated  to  do 
a  great  deal  of  mischief,  and  would  make  short  work  with  any 
thing  of  less  force  than  a  sloop  of  war.  He  determined  to  take 
his  measures  accordingly. 

The  result  equalled  the  expectations  of  Captain  Wilcox, 
who  stood  in  as  much  fear  of  a  small  gun  brig  as  of  a  frigate, 
but  who  was  determined  to  avoid  a  contact  with  either,  and 
trust  to  the  nimbleness  of  his  heels,  if  he  could  once  get  fairly 
out  to  sea.  An  opportunity  at  length  arrived.  A  furious 
squall  set  in  during  the  night.  The  wind  blew  in  fierce  and 
fitful  gusts,  and  the  rain  fell  in  great  abundance,  and  increased 
the  obscurity  of  the  atmosphere.  Wilcox  ordered  the  cable  to 
be  cut,  and,  under  a  reefed  fore-topsail  and  jib,  shot  like  a  struck 
dolphin  out  of  the  harbor  of  Whampoa. 


SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

The  Wanderer  had  a  fine  run  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
and  met  with  nothing  to  furnish  cause  for  alarm.  One  day, 
when  a  few  degrees  to  the  westward  of  the  Cape,  as  day  broke 
in  the  east,  a  large  ship  was  seen  steering  to  the  eastward  under 
a  press  of  sail.  Captain  Wilcox  altered  the  course  of  the  brig, 
and  steered  directly  for  the  ship,  which  he  soon  made  out  to 
be  a  heavy  East  Indiaman,  doubtless  well  armed  and  manned 
with  a  numerous  and  effective  crew. 

All  hands  were  piped  to  quarters.  "  Come,  my  lads,"  said 
the  captain,  "  suppose  we  try  the  mettle  of  that  fellow.  We 
have  taken  nothing  yet,  and  there  is  good  picking  on  board 
some  of  these  outward-bound  Indiamen.  The  thing  must  be 
carefully  done,  however,  for  if  John  Bull  only  suspects  our 
inferior  force,  he  will  blow  us  out  of  the  water,  and  laugh  at 
us  afterwards  !  " 

Every  rag  of  canvas  was  packed  on  the  brig,  and  it  was 
evident  that  the  captain  of  the  Indiaman  did  not  like  her 
appearance,  for  he  tacked  ship  and  stood  off  to  the  south-west. 
The  Wanderer  rapidly  gained  upon  the  chase,  and  was  fast 
closing  on  the  weather  quarter,  when  Captain  Wilcox  fired  a 
gun  to  windward  and  hoisted  American  colors  !  The  ship  re 
plied  by  showing  the  English  ensign,  and  taking  in  her  courses 
and  top-gallant-sails.  She  was  evidently  preparing  for  a  brush. 
Not  a  shot,  however,  was  fired  until  the  Wanderer  was  within 
hail,  when  Captain  Wilcox  sprang  upon  a  gun  near  the  gang 
way,  with  a  speaking-trumpet  in  his  hand.  He  was  a  fine- 
looking  fellow,  possessing  a  dignified  exterior,  dressed  in  full 
uniform,  and  had  a  voice  like  the  famous  Stentor  of  old. 

"  First  division,  there  !  "  shouted  he ;  "  see  all  ready  to 
fire  !  "  and  then,  directing  his  trumpet  towards  the  huge  ship, 
with  heavy  cannon  protruding  from  her  massy  sides,  he  had 
the  cool  impudence  to  add,  in  a  loud  and  imperative  tone, 
"  Ship  ahoy  !  haul  down  your  colors,  and  lay  your  main  top 
sail  to  the  mast,  or  I  '11  give  you  a  broadside  !  "  Then  turn- 


CAPTURE   OF    AN    DfDIAMAN. 


ing  to  his  crew,  "  Stand  by,  my  boys  !  Take  good  aim  !  " 
Then  in  his  loudest  tone  to  the  Englishman,  "Haul  down 
your  flag,  I  say,  this  minute,  or  I  '11  blow  you  sky-high  !  " 


This  threat  produced  the  desired  effect.  The  British  ensign 
came  fluttering  upon  the  deck,  and  the  heavy  main  yard  of 
the  East  Indiaman  was  reluctantly  braced  round,  the  helm 
was  put  hard  down,  and  the  ship  was  laid  to  with  her  main 
topsail  to  the  mast,  having  struck  to  the  United  States  letter 
of  marque  Wanderer ! 

Captain  Wilcox  sent  his  first  officer  on  board,  accompanied 
by  his  clerk,  in  officer's  uniform,  with  orders  to  send  on  board 
the  brig  the  captain  of  the  ship,  with  his  papers,  and  as  many 
of  the  crew  as  the  boat  could  convey.  The  ship  proved  to  be 


384  SALT   WATER    BUBBLES. 

the  Alnwick  Castle,  Captain  Henderson,  of  seven  hundred 
and  fifty  tons,  from  Bristol,  bound  to  the  Isle  of  France,  with 
a  cargo  of  stores,  provisions,  &c.,  of  no  use  to  the  crew  of  a 
privateer.  The  ship  mounted  sixteen  eighteen-pound  carron- 
ades,  and  was  manned  by  a  crew  of  forty  men,  all  told.  The 
guns  were  double-shotted  with  round  and  grape ;  and  one 
broadside,  well  directed,  would  have  made  fearful  work  with 
the  Wanderer,  and  decided  the  contest  against  her. 

But  Captain  Henderson  was  accompanied  by  his  wife,  a 
young  and  beautiful  woman,  to  whom  he  had  been  married 
but  a  few  short  months.  And  to  this  circumstance  must  be 
ascribed  his  reluctance  to  engage  in  a  desperate  contest  with 
a  vessel  apparently  well  fitted  for  fighting,  and  evidently  his 
superior.  With  a  heavy  heart  he  handed  the  officer  his 
papers,  and  assisted  his  wife  into  the  boat,  and,  with  the 
greater  part  of  the  crew,  they  were  soon  on  board  the  Wan 
derer.  The  men  were  placed  in  irons  for  greater  security, 
and  temporarily  stowed  away  beneath  the  "  quakers,"  in  the 
waist. 

Captain  Wilcox  soon  ascertained,  by  examining  the  ship's 
papers,  that  he  had  captured  a  prize  of  little  value.  He  could 
not  spare  men  sufficient  to  navigate  her  into  an  American 
port ;  her  cargo  consisted  of  bulky  articles,  which  could  not 
be  transferred  to  the  brig ;  and  he  issued  orders  to  take  out 
every  man,  with  all  their  baggage,  and  set  the  vessel  on  fire. 
It  was  then  that  Captain  Henderson  ventured  to  remonstrate, 
in  a  gentlemanly  manner,  against  such  a  summary  disposition 
of  property,  in  which  he  was  directly  interested,  for  he  was  a 
part  owner  of  the  ship  and  cargo.  He  suggested  that,  by 
burning  the  ship,  his  own  ruin  would  be  effectually  sealed, 
without  any  benefit  to  his  captor ;  and  that,  by  restoring  the 
ship  and  cargo  to  the  legitimate  proprietors,  Captain  Wilcox 
would  perform  a  noble  and  magnanimous  act,  which  would 


CAPTURE   OF   AN    EAST    IXDIAMAX.  385 

meet  the  approval  of  all  good  men,  and  which  would  be  in  ac 
cordance  with  the  dictates  of  benevolence  and  justice. 

This  was  a  view  of  the  matter  which  struck  a  responsive 
chord  in  the  bosom  of  the  generous-hearted  Yankee.  There 
was  force  in  the  reasoning  of  the  Englishman,  and  his  feel 
ings  responded  to  the  arguments  set  forth.  He  felt  that  it 
was  little  better  than  piracy  to  set  fire  to  and  destroy  prop 
erty  belonging  to  private  and  deserving  individuals,  when  far 
away  upon  the  ocean.  But  it  is  uncertain  what  would  have 
been  the  result,  had  he  not  at  that  moment  caught  the  eye 
of  the  beautiful  and  accomplished  Mrs.  Henderson.  She  was 
sad,  but  charming  in  her  sadness,  and  addressed  the  cap 
tain  in  a  musical  voice,  which  sounded  to  him,  accustomed  for 
months  to  the  gruff  mutterings  of  the  sailors,  like  the  music 
of  the  spheres.  He  listened  to  her  attentively,  while,  in  elo 
quent  language,  she  pleaded  the  cause  of  her  husband ;  and 
Captain  Wilcox,  who,  with  all  a  sailor's  gallantry,  adored  a 
lovely  woman,  was,  in  his  turn,  completely  vanquished.  He 
told  her  to  give  herself  no  further  apprehension  —  the  vessel 
and  cargo  should  be  restored  to  her  husband.  Such  was  the 
triumph  of  beauty  pleading  in  behalf  of  humanity  and  jus 
tice  ! 

In  the  mean  time  the  English  sailors,  who  were  stowed 
away  among  the  wooden  guns,  were  making  observations  and 
indulging  in  sundry  philosophical  remarks. 

"I  say,  Ben,"  growled  a  rough-looking  tar,  with  a  voice 
like  a  screech-owl,  "just  look  at  the  crack  in  this  here  gun." 

"  Crack  !  "  replied  Ben.  "  So  there  is.  That  gun  was  never 
cast  in  a  foundry.  It  is  made  of  a  soft  kind  of  metal,  and 
growed  in  the  woods." 

"  Ay,"  said  another  of  the  crew,  "  and  here  is  one  of 
the  same  kidney.  Queer  kind  of  cannon  these  Yankees 
use !  " 

"  Cannon  !  "  chimed  in  the  boatswain.  "  These  cannon 
33 


386  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

are  all  wooden  ones.  This  craft  has  not  an  effective  gun  on 
board,  —  all  wood,  all  '  quakers,'  as  sure  as  my  name 's  Timothy 
Twilight.  We  have  been  shamefully  humbugged  by  these 
rascally  Yankees.  Wheugh  !  "  and  the  boatswain  whistled 
Lillibulleroo  in  a  style  that  would  have  charmed  "my  Uncle 
Toby,"  and  astonished  the  corporal. 

"  This  will  be  a  pretty  story  to  tell  in  England,"  resumed 
the  boatswain.  "  The  ship  Alnwick  Castle,  of  sixteen  guns, 
taken  and  burnt  by  a  paltry  Yankee  merchant  brig,  armed 
with  quakers,  and  manned  by  a  dozen  greenhorns,  just  out  of 
the  woods.  And  all  this  comes  of  having  women  on  board. 
They  are  at  the  bottom  of  all  the  mischief  that  ever  was 
hatched.  For  my  part,  I  hate  the  sight  of  a  petticoat." 

"  Not  worse  than  every  pretty  girl  hates  the  sight  of  your 
blear-eyed,  squab-nosed,  wide-mouthed,  and  hickory-barked 
phiz,"  replied,  with  some  tartness,  Jack  Spendall,  a  young 
and  handsome  sailor,  with  flowing  locks,  and  a  bright  black 
eye,  such  as  ladies  love  to  look  upon.  "  A  pretty  woman  is 
never  out  of  place  at  sea  or  on  shore,  in  fair  weather  or  foul ; 
and  the  man  who  grumbles  at  breathing  the  same  air  with  a 
pretty  woman,  is  no  sailor,  and  deserves  to  be  kicked  to  death 
by  marines." 

"That's  true,  Jack,"  chimed  in  his  gallant  shipmates;  and 
the  boatswain  was  compelled  to  close  his  clam-shell. 

Captain  Wilcox  went  upon  deck,  with  Mrs.  Henderson 
hanging  upon  his  arm.  He  ordered  the  crew  aft.  "  My 
lads,"  said  he,  "you  have  behaved  nobly.  We  have  captured 
this  British  East  Indiaman,  of  a  heavy  force,  without  firing  a 
gun,  and  she  is  a  lawful  prize  to  the  Wanderer.  But  we 
cannot  man  her,  and  take  her  into  an  American  port,  and, 
therefore,  the  ship  and  her  cargo  are  of  no  value  to  us.  Her 
captain  is  the  principal  owner  of  the  vessel.  He  is  a  worthy 
man,  although  an  Englishman,  and  the  loss  of  his  vessel  will 
strip  him  of  all  his  property,  and  accomplish  his  ruin.  His 


CAPTURE    OF    AN    EAST    INDIAMAN.  38J 

wife,  whom  you  see  here  before  you,  has  been  pleading  elo 
quently  in  his  behalf,  and  I  have  promised  that  the  ship  shall 
be  given  up  to  the  captain,  with  all  her  effects,  with  liberty  to 
proceed  on  her  voyage.  What  say  you,  my  lads  ?  Have  I 
acted  right  ?  " 

"  O,"  said  Mrs.  Henderson,  stretching  her  fair  arm  towards 
the  rough-looking  tars,  and  addressing  them  in  a  melodious 
voice,  "  0,  do  confirm  the  promise  which  your  generous  captain 
has  given  me,  and  Heaven  will  bless  you !  " 

The  sailors  stared  at  the  lovely  woman  with  as  much  ardor 
and  admiration  as  if  she  had  been  a  superior  being,  dropped 
among  them  from  the  skies ;  a,nd  when  the  captain  repeated 
his  question,  "  Have  I  acted  right  ?  "  he  was  replied  to  by  a 
ringing  shout  of  "  AY,  AT,  SIR  !  "  and  "  THREE  CHEERS  FOR 
MRS.  HENDERSON  !  " 

And  the  cheers  were  given  with  a  hearty  good  will ;  even 
the  handcuffed  Englishmen  joined  in  them,  with  the  exception 
of  the  boatswain,  who  still  looked  sour  and  sulky  under  the 
rebuke  of  Jack  Spendall. 

The  Englishmen  were  liberated  and  conveyed  on  board 
their  ship,  which  was  given  up  to  Captain  Henderson.  The 
parting  between  Captain  Wilcox  and  the  interesting  couple, 
who  had  so  unexpectedly  honored  his  cabin  by  their  presence, 
was  extremely  impressive.  Captain  Henderson  expressed  his 
gratitude  in  the  warmest  terms,  and  solemnly  declared  that  he 
would  repay  the  obligation  the  first  time  it  would  be  in  his 
power  to  serve  an  American  citizen.  As  for  Mrs.  Henderson, 
words  could  not  express  her  grateful  feelings.  Her  sense  of 
gratitude  seemed  in  some  sort  to  overcome  her  sense  of  pro 
priety,  for,  when  her  words  failed  her,  she  threw  her  arms  around 
the  neck  of  the  worthy  Yankee  captain,  and  kissed  him,  much 
to  the  surprise  and  gratification  of  Captain  Wilcox,  who  was 
subsequently  heard  to  declare  that  the  kiss  lingered  upon  his 


388  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

lips  for  a  fortnight ;  even  salt  water  could  not  wash  away  the 
taste  of  it ! 

Two  or  three  years  -passed  away,  and  peace  was  reestab 
lished  between  two  countries,  which  nature  never  intended 
should  war  against  each  other.  Captain  Wilcox  was  called 
to  take  the  command  of  a  fine  ship,  in  the  East  India  trade. 
He  sailed  from  New  England,  and,  in  due  time,  arrived  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope.  On  landing  and  reporting  his  vessel,  he 
was  asked  if  he  was  the  same  Captain  Wilcox  who  commanded 
the  brig  Wanderer  during  the  late  war. 

"  The  same,"  replied  he. 

"  Then,"  said  the  officer,  "  allow  me  to  return  you  my 
thanks  for  your  kind  treatment  of  a  countryman,  whom  you 
captured  off  the  Cape,  and  to  whom  you  generously  restored 
his  vessel  and  cargo." 

He  soon  found  that  the  story  was  well  known  at  the  Cape, 
for  the  Alnwick  Castle  had  put  into  Table  Bay,  after  the  ves 
sels  separated,  and  Captain  Henderson  and  his  fair  companion 
were  loud  and  eager  in  their  praises  of  the  generous-hearted 
Yankee  captain. 

He  was  treated  with  great  hospitality  during  his  short  stay 
at  Cape  Town.  The  governor  showed  him  many  attentions ; 
fetes  were  made  and  parties  given  for  his  especial  gratification, 
and  the  ladies  in  particular  welcomed  him  with  their  sweetest 
smiles.  And  all  this  for  obeying  the  dictates  of  a  generous 
heart,  and  refusing  to  act  on  the  high  seas  in  a  manner  more 
becoming  in  a  lawless  buccaneer  or  a  pirate,  than  in  a  member 
of  a  civilized  and  Christian  community.  The  more  he  reflected 
on  the  course  which  he  was  prevailed  on  to  adopt  \vith  regard 
to  the  English  East  Indiaman,  the  better  satjsfied  he  was  with 
himself.  "  What  a  ninny  I  should  have  been,"  said  he  to  him 
self,  "  if  I  had  set  the  Alnwick  Castle  on  fire,  with  the  flimsy 
plea  of  doing  my  best  to  cripple  the  resources  of  the  enemy !  " 

He  left  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  next  touched  at  the 


CAPTURE    OF    AN    EAST    INDIAMAN.  38Q 

Isle  of  France.  After  the  ship  was  anchored  in  Port  Louis, 
he  started  in  his  gig  for  the  shore.  A  large  English  ship  lay 
in  his  track,  and,  as  he  drew  near,  he  saw  a  lady  beneath  the 
awning  on  the  poop,  engaged  in  reading,  while  breathing  the 
grateful  sea  air.  As  the  boat  was  gliding  past  the  quarter, 
she  raised  her  eyes  from  the  page,  and  gazed  upon  the  features 
of  the  American  captain.  Her  visage  was  instantly  lighted 
up  with  astonishment  and  delight.  "  Captain  Wilcox  !  "  she 
said  with  eagerness.  "  Theodore  !  husband  !  here  is  Captain 
Wilcox  !  "  she  repeated,  looking  down  the  skylight.  Then, 
running  to  the  side  of  the  deck,  she  snatched  a  scarf  which 
was  lightly  reposing  on  her  shoulders,  and,  waving  it  towards 
the  boat,  attracted  the  attention  of  that  gentleman,  who  recog 
nized  her  now,  and,  in  a  moment  he  was  alongside  of  the 
Alnwick  Castle ! 

He  was  received  at  the  gangway  by  Captain  Henderson 
and  his  lovely  wife.  I  hardly  need  say  that  he  was  welcomed 
in  the  kindest  manner.  After  the  first  warm  greetings  were 
over,  Mrs.  Henderson,  with  the  agility  of  a  fairy,  descended 
into  the  cabin,  which  was  elegantly  fitted  up,  and  returned  on 
deck,  bearing  in  her  arms  a  bright-looking  child,  about  two 
years  of  age,  who  was,  indeed,  a  miniature  edition  of  herself. 
"  His  name,"  said  she,  while  her  eyes  were  suffused  with  the 
tears  of  joy  and  gratitude,  "  is  CHARLES  WILCOX  HENDERSON!  " 

As  Captain  Wilcox  stepped  over  the  gangway,  after  bid 
ding  his  friends  a  temporary  adieu,  he  was  heard  to  mutter 
to  himself,  "  What  an  unmitigated  scoundrel  I  should  have 
been,  to  have  burnt  the  Alnwick  Castle  !  " 


33* 


SATURDAY  NIGHT  REVELS; 

OR, 

A   SCENE   IN   PERNAMBUCO. 

Maria.  What  a  caterwauling  do  you  keep  here  !  If  my  lady  has  not 
called  up  her  steward,  Malvolio,  and  bid  him  turn  you  all  out  of  doors, 
never  trust  me. 

Malvolio.  My  masters,  are  you  mad,  or  what  are  you  1  Have  ye  no 
wit,  manners,  nor  honesty,  to  gabble  like  tinkers  at  this  time  of  night  1 
Do  you  make  an  ale-house  of  my  lady's  house,  that  ye  squeak  out  your 
catches,  without  any  mitigation  or  remorse  of  voice  1  Is  there  no  respect 
of  persons,  place,  nor  time  with  you  1  —  SHAKSPEARE.  t 

'HE  harbor  of  Pernambuco  is 
an  excellent  and  capacious  one. 
It  is  formed  by  a  long  reef  of 
coral  limestone  —  a  natural 
breakwater  —  which  has  for 
thousands  of  years  withstood 
the  bold  attack  of  the  waves, 
lashed  into  fury  by  the  stormy 
south-east  trade  winds.  Inside 
of  this  reef  the  inner  harbor 
stretches  along,  furnishing  a 
port  completely  sheltered  from 

the  winds  and  seas,  from  whatever  quarter  they  may  come. 

The  ships  lie  moored,  head  and  stern,  at  the  distance  of  a 


SATURDAY   NIGHT    REVELS.  391 

quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  the  depth  of  water  at 
the  barred  entrance  of  the  harbor  is  sufficient  for  vessels  of 
goodly  size,  if  their  draft  of  water  should  not  be  unreason 
able. 

In  the  month  of  April,  about  the  close  of  the  first  quarter 
of  the  present  century,  the  ship  Pandolfo,  of  Salem,  was  lying 
snugly  moored  in  the  harbor  of  Pernambuco,  taking  in  a 
cargo  of  sugar,  and  bound  for  Archangel,  in  Russia.  Captain 
Snyder,  of  the  Pandolfo,  was  a  good  sort  of  man  enough  when 
sober.  He  was  a  smart  seaman,  understood  business,  and  was 
liked  by  his  crew  ;  but  he  was  fond  of  company,  and  delighted 
in  a  frolic ;  and  at  such  times  he  did  not  measure  the  amount 
of  stimulating  drinks  which  he  consumed.  He  loved,  above 
all  things,  to  get  a  few  hearty,  roistering  chaps  on  board ; 
and,  what  with  drinking,  shouting,  talking  and  singing,  have 
a  regular  "  hurrah."  His  hospitality  on  such  occasions  was 
proverbial,  and  it  is,  therefore,  not  remarkable  that  his  friends 
in  port  were  many,  and  that  with  a  degree  of  good-nature, 
which  is  deserving  of  all  praise,  they  often  gratified  the  wor 
thy  captain  with  their  company. 

One  Saturday  night,  soon  after  the  supper-table  was  cleared 
away  in  the  cabin  of  the  Pandolfo,  three  well-manned  boats 
came  alongside,  each  bearing  a  brace  or  more  of  visitors, 
captains  or  supercargoes,  to  pass  an  hour  or  two  with  the 
worthy  and  sociable  Captain  Snyder.  They  were  warmly 
welcomed ;  and.  after  taking  a  few  turns  on  the  quarter-deck, 
and  smoking  a  few  cigars,  and  relating  the  news  of  the  day, 
they,  nothing  loath,  retreated  through  the  companion-way  to 
the  cabin.  The  steward  was  called  upon,  and  decanters, 
bottles,  cork-screws,  and  glasses,  were  in  demand.  They  were 
all  "  jovial  fellows,"  and  soon  became  loquacious  and  good- 
humored.  The  liquor  did  its  accustomed  work,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  the  welkin  rung  with  merry  shouts  of  laughter, 
songs  and  huzzas. 


392  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

The  crew  of  the  Pandolfo  were  also  a  set  of  hearty,  jolly 
fellows,  who  loved  a  joke,  a  laugh,  and  a  song,  as  well  as 
their  captain.  They  also  emulated  his  example  in  another 
respect.  They  liked  the  stimulus  of  intoxicating  drinks,  and 
especially  loved  to  indulge  their  likings  on  a  Saturday  night ; 
but,  unlike  their  skipper,  they  were  by  no  means  fastidious  in 
their  choice  of  liquors.  They  wanted  something  which  would 
do  its  work,  and  it  mattered  not  to  them  whether  it  was  Cog 
nac  brandy,  Holland  gin,  West  India  rum,  Brown  Stout,  the 
clear,  unadulterated  "  New  England,"  or  the  genuine  Agua- 
diente  of  the  country.  They,  too,  were  hospitably  inclined, 
and  dearly  loved  to  have  some  of  the  ships'  companies  in  port 
call  on  board,  after  the  labors  of  the  day,  and  pass  a  social 
evening.  On  the  occasion  to  which  I  particularly  allude,  the 
men  belonging  to  the  boats  alongside,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
were  invited  on  board,  and  shown  the  way  to  the  forecastle. 
The  worthy  fellows  belonging  to  the  Pandolfo  gave  them  a 
hearty  welcome,  and  resolved  to  follow  the  example  of  their 
captain,  and  "  make  a  night  of  it." 

"  Come,  shipmates,"  said  Sam  Wilkins,  "  it  is  Saturday 
night ;  your  skippers  are  moored  head  and  stern,  for  a  couple 
of  hours  at  least.  Hillo,  cook!  go  aft,  Snowball,  and  ask 
the  captain  if  he  '11  give  us  '  Saturday  night.'  Sweethearts 
and  wives,  eh,  doctor  ?  Tell  him,  too,  we  have  got  company 
on  board,  and  hope  he  '11  give  us  extra  allowance  : 

*  We  '11  push  the  can  of  grog  about, 
And  keep  it  up  till  morning.'  " 

The  "  dark-complexioned  gentleman  "  soon  returned  from 
the  cabin,  exhibiting  a  double  row  of  polished  ivories,  and 
bringing  a  generous  supply  of  liquor,  the  sight  of  which  made 
the  eyes  of  the  honest  tars  glisten  with  delight,  and  lighted 
up  their  countenances  with  smiles.  They  determined  to  spend  a 
happy  Saturday  evening ;  and,  to  make  sure  of  it,  Bill  Simons 


SATURDAY   NIGHT   REVELS.  393 

and  Alec  Doolittle  pulled  ashore  in  the  boat,  under  pretence 
of  getting  their  go-ashore  clothes  from  the  washerwoman,  and 
smuggled  off  two  or  three  bottles  of  aguadiente  ;  enough,  with 
what  they  got  from  the  cabin,  for  all  the  practical  purposes 
of  hospitality.  And  a  glorious  time  they  had.  They  talked 
as  loud,  and  as  fast,  and  as  absurdly,  as  their  superiors  in  the 
cabin ;  and,  like  them,  they  praised  their  liquor,  acted  various 
antics,  indulged  in  strange  oaths,  perpetrated  stale  jokes,  and 
made  the  forecastle  shake  with  their  guffaws,  and  other  noisy 
demonstrations  of  delight. 

"  I  say,  Jack  Hastings,"  shouted  Sam  TVilkins,  "  give  us  a 
song ;  we  have  been  drinking  to  sweethearts  and  wives,  and 
talking  about  the  girls  long  enough,  and  there  will  be  no 
harm  in  singing  about  them  a  little,  just  by  way  of  a  change. 
Go  ahead,  old  fellow !  " 

Jack  Hastings  was  a  hickory-faced,  round-shouldered,  mid 
dle-aged,  rough-looking  tar,  full  of  fun  and  frolic,  with  nothing 
of  the  Adonis  or  sighing  swain  about  him;  and  when  he 
puckered  up  his  large  lips  to  begin,  his  companions,  expecting 
something  exceedingly  ridiculous,  got  ready  for  an  explosion 
of  laughter.  This  preparation  was  premature,  for  Jack  dis 
appointed  their  expectations,  and  gave  them  a  sentimental 
song,  something  like  the  following,  which  he  sung  with  a 
hoarse,  croaking  voice,  that  sounded  like  the  clatter  of  a  saw 
mill  when  doing  double  duty.  But  every  man  in  the  fore 
castle  joined  in  the  chorus,  and  what  was  wanting  in  melody 
was  more  than  made  up  in  vociferation. 

SATURDAY    NIGHT   AT    SEA. 

"  A  sailor  loves  a  gallant  ship, 
And  shipmates  bold  and  free, 

•  And  ever  welcomes  with  delight 

Saturday  night  at  sea. 
Saturday  night  at  sea,  my  boys, 
Saturday  night  at  sea; 


\ 


394  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

Let  every  gallant  sailor  sing 
Saturday  night  at  sea. 

"  One  hour  each  week  we  '11  snatch  from  care, 

As  through  the  world  we  roam, 
To  think  of  dear  friends  far  away, 

And  all  the  joys  of  home. 
Saturday  night  at  sea,  my  boys, 

Saturday  night  at  sea  ; 
Let  winds  blow  high  or  low,  we  '11  sing 
.  Saturday  night  at  sea. 

"  We  '11  think  of  those  bright  beings  who 

Bedeck  with  joys  our  lives; 
And  raise  to  Heaven  a  prayer,  to  bless 

Our  sweethearts  and  our  wives  ! 
Saturday  night  at  sea,  my  boys, 

Saturday  night  at  sea; 
In  storms,  or  calms,  through  life,  we  '11  sing 

Saturday  night  at  sea." 


"  Well  done,  Jack  !  "  said  Sam  Williams  ;  and,  suiting  the 
action  to  the  word,  gave  the  honest  tar  a  slap  on  the  back 
which  would  have  annihilated  a  Washington-street  dandy,  — 
cane,  straps,  whiskers  and  all  —  "  that 's  not  so  bad,  old  fellow. 
And  it 's  a  good  sentiment,  too ;  for  a  man  who  wears  a  blue 
jacket,  and  ships  for  a  sailor,  and  has  not  a  wife  or  a  sweet 
heart,  deserves  to  live  all  his  life  on  salt  junk  and  mouldy 
bread,  and  precious  little  of  that ;  and  if  he  has  a  wife  or  a 
sweetheart,  and  is  unwilling  to  think  about  them,  talk  about 
them,  sing  about  them,  or  drink  about  them,  on  Saturday 
night,  when  thousands  of  miles  from  home,  he  's  no  sailor,  and 
deserves  to  be  keel-hauled." 

"  So  I  say,"  exclaimed  Bill  Simons,  with  considerable 
emphasis ;  "  he  has  not  the  soul  of  a  grampus.  But  come, 
shipmates,  let 's  have  that  chorus  again ; "  and  again  they 
thundered  forth, 


SATURDAY    NIGUT    BEVELS.  390 

"  Saturday  night  at  sea,  my  boy*, 

Saturday,  night  at  sea ; 
Let  winds  blow  high  or  low,  we  '11  sing 
Saturday  night  at  sea." 

TVhile  these  happy  and  rather  boisterous  scenes  were  enact 
ing  in  the  cabin  and  forecastle,  the  two  mates  of  the  ship, 
Mr.  Hawkins  and  Mr.  Dalrymple,  were  cooling  their  heels 
on  the  quarter  deck,  and  occasionally,  by  way  of  a  change, 
took  a  stroll  on  the  main  deck.  They  were  not  invited, 
of  course,  to  participate  in  the  festivities  of  the  cabin,  and, 
much  to  their  annoyance,  were  compelled  to  listen  to  the 
sounds  of  mirth  and  revelry  from  both  extremities  of  the  ship. 
They  were  neither  of  them  philosophers,  and  it  must  be  re 
corded,  although  I  do  it  reluctantly,  that  they  exhibited  some 
marks  of  impatience  whenever  a  burst  of  merriment  broke 
upon  their  ears,  and  gave  vent  to  their  unamiable  feelings  in 
half-suppressed  mutterings,  and  now  and  then  an  emphatic 
exclamation,  of  a  condemnatory  character,  more  remarkable 
for  its  force  and  pungency  than  its  refinement  or  piety. 

They  could  not  interfere  to  put  a  check  upon  the  obstreper 
ous  doings  in  the  cabin,  but  were  obliged  to  listen,  and  approve 
or  condemn  as  they  thought  fit.  But  when  Bill  Simons  led 
off  the  roistering  fellows  in  the  forecastle  in  the  chorus  of 
"  Saturday  Night  at  Sea,"  and  they  made  noise  enough  to 
drown  the  cataract  of  Niagara,  Mr.  Hawkins  declared  he  would 
not  stand  it  any  longer,  and  in  three  leaps  was  on  the  fore 
castle.  After  thumping  the  combings  of  the  fore-scuttle 
several  times  with  a  handspike,  he  attracted  the  attention  of 
those  below,  one  of  whom,  in  answer  to  the  summons,  shouted 
"  Halloo  !  " 

"  Halloo  yourself,"  said  Hawkins,  "  and  see  how  you  like 
it !  I  tell  you  what  't  is,  lads,  there  's  too  much  noise  below 
there.  I  won't  have  such  a  rumpus  on  board  the  ship.  We 


396  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

shall  have  the  guard-boat  alongside ;  so  shut  up  your  clam 
shells  at  once,  and  keep  quiet,  if  it  is  Saturday  night." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir,"  responded  Jack  Hastings,  with  a  knowing 
wink  to  his  companions,  "we  have  finished  the  chorus,  sir, 
and  will  be  as  quiet  as  (he  dropped  his  voice)  a  flock  of  sea 
gulls  before  a  storm  !  " 

"  You  had  better,"  said  Mr.  Hawkins,  peremptorily,  "  if 
y#u  know  when  you  are  well  off."  And  he  walked  aft  with 
a  dogged  air,  as  if  he  was  not  altogether  well  satisfied  with 
the  result  of  the  interview ;  and  as  his  steps  were  heard  on 
the  main  deck,  the  men  celebrated  his  retreat  with  a  loud 
laugh. 

"  Never  mind  him"  said  Bill  Simons.  "  I  suppose  the 
poor  fellow  feels  rather  crabbed  because  there  's  fun  and  frolic 
going  on,  and  he  has  no  hand  in  it.  It 's  not  to  be  won 
dered  at.  I  should  feel  bad  myself  if  I  were  in  his  case. 
But  we  are  not  to  be  cheated  out  of  our  Saturday  night's 
frolic,  for  all  that.  Come,  Dick  Nettletop,  give  us  a  song." 

"  Yes,  yes,  Dick,"  shouted  in  chorus  several  voices,  "  give 
us  a  song." 

"  Well,  shipmates,"  said  Dick,  "  I  don't  know  what  to 
sing ;  but,  never  mind,  I  '11  give  you  a  song  that  old  Simon 
Deadeye  used  to  sing,  on  board  the  Jason,  on  a  voyage  to 
Sumatra.  The  old  fellow  was  no  great  favorite  with  the 
girls  —  they  were  always  quizzing  him.  So  here  goes  !  " 

SIMON  DEADEYE'S  SONG. 

"  Let  others  raise  their  voice  in  praise 

Of  love,  and  count  their  prizes. 
Their  Ellens  fair,  with  auburn  hair, 

Their  Marys  and  Elizas  ; 
Or  prate  of  darts,  of  cloven  hearts, 

Of  Cupids,  doves,  and  blisses, 
Of  burning  sighs,  of  sparkling  eyes, 

Of  rosy  lips  and  kisses. 


SATURDAY   NIGHT   REVELS.  397 

Such  joys  let  loafing  landsmen  prove, 
A  SHIP  is  my  delight  and  love. 

"  Let  others  whine  at  Cupid's  shrine, 

And  talk  of  tastes  congenial, 
Of  Beauty's  wiles,  of  witching  smiles, 

And  sigh  for  joys  hymeneal  ; 
Such  stupid  themes  are  weak  day-dreams  ; 

/love  with  deep  devotion 
The  storms  and  calms,  and  rude  alarms, 

And  dangers  of  the  ocean. 
My  MISTRESS  is  a  gallant  ship, 
My  HOME  is  on  the  stormy  deep." 

"  Well,  well,"  exclaimed  Bill ;  "  he  was  a  queer  chap  that 
wrote  that  ere  song,  and  no  sailor,  I  '11  be  bound  to  say.  I 
never  knew  a  real  sailor  who  did  n't  love  the  sight  of  a  pretty 
girl  better  than  the  finest  ship  that  ever  floated  on  the  sea. 
The  fellow  was  as  cold-blooded  as  a  porpoise,  and  had  a  heart 
like  a  clamshell.  He  was  a  disgrace  to  a  blue  jacket,  and  I 
advise  you,  Dick,  never  to  sing  that  song  again.  What  do 
you  say,  Jim  O'Higgins  ?  Come,  my  lad,  tune  up,  and  let 
us  have  a  sample  of  your  quality." 

"  0,  that 's  out  of  the  question,"  replied  O'Higgins.  "  I 
can't  sing.  I  only  know  the  words  of  one  song  which  Jack 
Hilton  made  up  one  night  in  the  middle  watch,  during  his 
trick  at  the  helm,  and  I  don't  know  the  tune  to  that." 

"  Pho  !  "  said  Hastings,  "  never  mind  the  tune  if  you  know 
the  words.  The  tune  's  of  no  manner  of  consequence  —  what 's 
it  about,  my  lad  ?  " 

"  About  the  Constitution  and  Guerriere." 

"  0,  let  us  have  it,  by  all  means,"  said  Simons. 

"  Ay,  ay,  let 's  have  it,  Jim  !  "  shouted  half  a  dozen  grum 
voices. 

Thus  entreated,  O'Higgins,  in  strains  resembling  the  sounds 
sometimes  extracted  from  an  ungreased  grindstone  in  motion, 
34 


SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

went  off  in  a  rousing  ditty,  which  he  dignified  with  the  name 
of  a  song,  and  what  was  wanting  in  musical  tone  was  more 
than  made  up  in  volume  of  sound.  The  concluding  verse, 
particularly,  was  given  with  startling  energy.  It  was  as  fol 
lows  : 

"  Then,  boys,  run  up  the  Yankee  flag, 

And  give  a  hearty  cheer 
For  him  who  checked  the  British  pride, 
And  sank  the  bold  Guerriere." 

"  Three  cheers  for  valiant  Hull,  my  hearties  t  "  exclaimed 
Alec  Doolittle.  And  the  "  Hurrah,  HURRAH,  HURRAH  !  " 
with  which  the  jovial  and  patriotic  fellows  responded  to  the 
suggestion  was  a  satisfactory  test  of  the  strength  of  their 
lungs,  as  well  as  of  their  attachment  to  their  native  or  adopted 
country.  Their  shouts  stirred  up  the  feelings  of  the  mates 
again,  as  with  a  long  pole,  and  Mr.  Dalrymple,  at  the  chief 
mate's  suggestion,  was  sent  forward  to  caution  them  against 
making  such  a  noise.  ' 

"  What  are  you  kicking  up  such  a  hullabulloo  for,  there 
below  ?  "  he  inquired,  in  tones  not  remarkably  soft  or  kind. 
"  One  would  think  the  ship  was  turned  into  a  den  of  wild 
beasts,  with  your  bowlings,  and  your  screams  and  roars.  If 
you  cannot  make  less  noise,  dowse  the  glim,  and  turn  in,  and 
the  sooner  the  better." 

His  harangue  was  brought  to  an  abrupt  conclusion  by  a 
loud  burst  of  merriment  and  music,  which  the  wind  wafted 
from  the  cabin,  where  the  mirth  waxed  fast  and  furious,  and 
one  of  the  visitors,  Captain  Somers,  of  the  brig  Conqueror,  of 
New  York,  who  had  a  voice  that  could  be  heard  at  the  mast 
head  in  a  hurricane,  now  began  to  sing  the  "  Bay  of  Biscay  " 
at  the  very  top  of  his  lungs  —  and  the  voices  of  the  other 
cabin  guests,  strengthened  by  repeated  glasses  of  Madeira, 
brandy,  and  champagne,  nobly  swelled  the  chorus,  as  they 
bellowed  with  wonderful  power  and  effect, 


SATURDAY   NIGHT   BEVELS.  399 

"  As  she  lay 

On  that  day, 
In  the  BAY  OF  BISCAY  0  !  " 

Mr.  Dalrymple  felt  the  absurdity  as  well  as  injustice  of  rebuk 
ing  the  sailors  for  their  boisterous  merriment,  when  they  were 
only  imitating,  in  a  humble  way,  the  example  of  their  supe 
riors.  He  walked  aft,  muttering  something  not  very  compli 
mentary  to  the  habits  and  conduct  of  his  captain. 

"  I  say,  shipmates,"  said  a  young  fellow,  named  Nicholas 
Bolton,  who  belonged  to  the  barque  Chemistry,  of  Boston,  "  we 
are  making  a  tremendous  noise,  there  's  no  use  denying  it,  and 
it 's  all  nonsense ;  we  may  as  well  be  quiet  if  we  wish  to  keep 
out  of  difficulty ;  and,  if  you  like,  I  '11  sing  you  a  song  —  not 
one  of  your 'rowdy  ditties,  with  a  chorus  as  big  as  a  ninety- 
barrel  sperm  whale,  and  as  rough  as  the  back  of  a  shovel- 
nosed  shark  —  but  a  soft,  gentle  affair,  that  will  cause  no 
noise  nor  disturbance." 

"  A  song  !  a  song  !  Nick  Bolton's  song  !  "  shouted  several 
voices  ;  and  the  youth,  with  a  clear,  melodious,  but  unculti 
vated  voice,  sang  with  tolerable  effect  the  following 

SONG.  * 

"  As  once  I  strayed  through  fields  and  meads, 

To  pass  the  twilight  hour,  • 

I  met  a  damsel  gathering  flowers, 

Herself  the  fairest  flower. 
Her  cheeks  were  like  the  rose's  blush, 

Her  neck  like  lilies  fair, 
On  which  in  witching  ringlets  fell 

Her  glossy,  raven  hair. 

"  I  gazed  upon  her  graceful  form, 

I  marked  her  sparkling  eyes  ; 

And,  captivated  by  her  charms, 

Resolved  to  win  the  prize. 
I  seized  her  hand,  and  said,  *  Fair  maid, 
0,  will  you  marry  me  7 


400  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

I  am  an  honest  sailor  true, 
Who  ploughs  the  stormy  sea.' 

"  She  blushed,  she  smiled,  then  quick  replied, 

«  0,  no,  kind  sir,  not  I  !  ' 
And  while  she  spoke  a  roguish  leer 

Was  seen  in  her  dark  eye. 
*  I'd  rather  wed  a  landsman  true, 

Who  '11  live  at  home  with  me, 
Than  twenty  gallant  sailors  bold, 

Whose  home  is  on  the  sea  ! '  " 

"  That  gal  was  a  fool !  "  shouted  Jack  Hastings,  screwing 
up  his  face  until  it  resembled  a  monkey's  that  had  been  drink 
ing  vinegar.  "  I  wonder  if  she  ever  got  a  husband.  At  any 
rate,  I  pity  the  man  who  married  her.  Your  song  don't 
amount  to  much,  Nick  ;  it  is  a  milk-and-water  sort  of  a  thing." 
And  Jack  thundered  forth,  in  his  peculiar  voice  — 

"  Success  to  the  damsel,  wherever  she  be, 
Who  smiles  on  the  rover  that  ploughs  the  dark  sea, 
Whose  feelings  are  kind,  whose  affections  are  true, 
Who  loves  the  bold  tar  with  his  jacket  of  blue." 

"  Chorus,  my  hearties  !  "  shouted  Jack  Hastings.  "  Let 's 
give  it  to  'em  strong !  " 

"  Jacket  of  blue,  boys  — jacket  of  blue  ! 
Who  loves  the  bold  tar  with  HIS  JACKET  OF  BLUE  !  " 

"  Hist !  "  exclaimed  Nick  Bolton,  who  tried  in  vain  to  sup 
press  the  boisterous  shouts  of  his  shipmates.  "  What 's  the 
use  of  making  noise  enough  to  rouse  all  hands  on  board  every 
ship  in  port  ?  " 

"  Sure  enough !  "  said  aklec  Doolittle  imploringly.  "  And 
here  comes  Tantarabogus  again.  Now  we  shall  catch  it !  " 

And,  sure  enough,  Mr.  Hawkins,  to  whom  Alec  had  ap 
plied  most  unjustly  the  above  disparaging  epithet,  again 
approached  the  fore-scuttle  with  hasty  strides. 

f . 


SATURDAY    NIGHT    REVELS.  401 

"  Halloo,  there  below  !  "  said  he,  in  a  voice  trembling  with 
passion.  "  I  won't  put  up  with  this  rascally  riot  any  longer. 
There  is  as  much  screaming  and  howling  among  you  as  would 
do  credit  to  a  boatswain's  gang  of  evil  spirits  with  their  tails 
just  chopped  off.  And  I  tell  you  what  it  is,  my  lads " 

"  We  were  only  singing,  sir.  It  is  Saturday  night,  sir !  " 
said  Jack  Hastings,  in  a  deprecatory  tone. 

"  Singing  ?  "  exclaimed  Hawkins.  "  If  you  call  that  sing 
ing,  I  don't  know  what  you  call  howling.  But  I  '11  tell  you 
what  it  is,  lads  —  if  I  hear  any  more  such  singing,  as  you 
call  it,  I  '11  order  you  aloft  to  send  down  the  top-gallant-masts, 
and  there  you  '11  be  able  to  sing  to  some  tune." 

And  Mr.  Hawkins  walked  aft,  with  his  hands  clenched,  his 
teeth  grating  against  each  other,  and  his  face  burning  with 
anger.  He  longed  to  fight  somebody,  and  if  he  could  have 
had  any  excuse,  might  have  turned  to  upon  his  friend  and 
fellow-officer,  Mr.  Dalryniple,  who  would  not  have  been  back 
ward  in  returning  the  compliment,  for  his  feelings  were  not,- 
at  this  time,  nearly  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  of  a  very  amiable 
character. 

"  Send  down  the  top-gallant-masts  to-night !  "  cried  Jack 
Hastings.  "  Wheugh  !  I  should  like  to  see  him  try  it.  I 
thought  Mr.  Hawkins  was  a  good  fellow  once ;  but  he 
proves  to  be  a  real  dog  in  the  manger.  Because  he  can't 
share  in  a  frolic  himself,  he  won't  let  nobody  else  !  " 

"  He  feels  vexed,  I  'spose,  and  it 's  but  natural  he  should," 
growled  Bob  Simpkins,  "  to  see  such  fun  and  frolic  in  the 
forecastle  and  in  the  cabin,  while  he  and  the  "  second  Dicky  " 
can  only  hold  on  the  slack.  They  are  what  I  call  tanta- 
lussed." 

"  Tantalussed !  "  exclaimed  Jack  Hastings.  "  That 's  a 
booktionary  word,  I  suppose ;  what  do  you  mean  by  tanta- 
lussed  ?  " 

•'•  Why,  don't  you  know  what  tantalussed  means  ?     You  're 
84* 


402  SALT    WATER    BUBBLES. 

a  bigger  fool  than  I  thought  you  were,  Jack  !  Tantalus  was 
an  old  chap,  who,  for  some  of  his  good  deeds,  I  suppose,  was 
clapped  in  the  bilboes,  and  kept  on  short  allowance,  or  rather 
no  allowance  at  all,  while  all  sorts  of  drinking,  eating,  fid 
dling  and  dancing  were  going  on  around  him ;  and  so,  d'  ye 
see,  when  a  man  is  placed  in  such  a  queer  fix,  folks  say  he  is 
tantalussed." 

Jack  looked  at  Bob  Simpkins,  while  a  frown,  as  dark  as  a 
Hatteras  squall,  was  rapidly  gathering  on  his  brow,  and  pre 
monitory  symptoms  of  a  regular  forecastle  row  appeared  ;  for 
several  of  the  company  were  rapidly  verging  towards  that 
stage  of  intoxication  which  disposes  men  to  quarrel  with 
everybody  arid  everything  around  them.  But  Nicholas  Bolton, 
naturally  a  quietly-disposed,  peaceable  youth,  with  praise 
worthy  presence  of  mind,  sought  to  prevent  it  by  calling 
upon  Bob  Simpkins  for  a  song. 

"  Come,  Bob,"  said  he,  "  you  promised  us  a  song,  and  we 
can't  let  you  off  without  one.  So,  tune  up,  my  good  fellow. 
But  give  us  one  that 's  got  no  chorus  to  it." 

"  He  sing !  "  muttered  Jack  between  his  teeth.  "  You 
might  as  well  listen  to  the  creaking  of  a  snatch-block  !  " 

This  observation  was  unheeded  by  Bob,  who,  after  some 
preliminary  flourishes,  and  several  desperate  and  affectedly- 
fashionable  efforts  to  clear  his  pipes,  burst  forth  into  a  most 
dolorous  tune,  with  the  following  words  : 

**  One  morning,  one  morning,  one  morning  in  May, 
I  spied  a  pretty  fair  maid  a-raking  of  hay  : 
Her  cheeks  they  were  so  rosy,  her " 

But  a  spiteful  and  uproarious  laugh  from  Jack  Hastings, 
in  which  two  or  three  others  joined,  completely  drowned  the 
rest  of  his  song,  and  induced  Bob  to  turn  round,  and  with  an 
air  of  defiance,  and  a  flourish  of  his  fists,  ask  Jack  what  he 
was  laughing  at. 


SATURDAY    NIGHT    REVELS.  403 

At  this  question,  Jack  screamed  louder  than  before.  "  Ha, 
ha,  ha  !"  shouted  he,  "  I  was  laughing  to  think  —  ha,  ha, 
ha  !  to  think  that  a  '  pretty  fair  maid  '  would  be  raking  hay 
in  the  month  of  May !  Ha,  ha,  ha !  In  my  country  they 
never  rake  hay  in  May  or  January  !  Ha,  ha,  ha  !  " 

But  his  burst  of  mirth  was  changed  into  a  paroxysm  of  a 
different  kind,  when  Bob  fetched  him  a  smart  rap  across  the 
muzzle,  which  dislodged  a  couple  of  his  teeth,  and  inflicted  a 
feeling  far  more  akin  to  pain  than  pleasure,  accompanied  with 
the  unkind  remark  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  laugh  again 
for  one  week,  anyhow  ! 

Jack  hit  back  as  soon  as  he  could  recover  his  balance, 
and  as  pretty  a  disturbance  was  got  up,  extempore,  as  a  per 
son  would  wish  to  see  on  a  summer's  day.  Blows  were  inter 
changed  and  passed  around  without  ceremony,  and  a  regular 
game  of  "  rough  and  tumble "  was  commenced,  when  loud 
voices,  as  of  many  persons  in  wrathful  altercation,  were  heard 
on  deck,  and  Mr.  Hawkins  and  Mr.  Dalrymple  both  came 
forward,  and  peremptorily  ordered  up  the  men  belonging  to 
the  other  vessels,  to  go  into  their  boats.  This  nipped  the 
raw  in  its  bud.  And  while  the  men  are  slowly  tumbling  up, 
muttering  and  grumbling,  we  will  take  a  glance  at  the  doings 
in  the  after  part  of  the  vessel. 

Here,  as  I  have  already  said,  reigned  revelry  and  mirth. 
The  glass  went  briskly  round,  healths  were  drunk,  jokes 
cracked,  stories  were  told,  and  songs  were  sung.  And  here, 
as  in  the  forecastle,  were  much  wit  and  good-humor  at  the 
outset,  which,  I  regret  to  record  it,  degenerated,  as  the  night 
advanced,  into  obstreperous  shouts,  coarseness  and  vulgarity. 
And  when  "  the  witching  time  of  night  "  approached,  there 
was  precious  little  difference  in  the  character  of  the  carou 
sals  in  the  forecastle  and  the  cabin,  although  the  immedi 
ate  agent  in  the  one  case  was  N.  E.  rum  and  aguadiente, 


404  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

and,  in  the  other,  the  more  expensive  stimulants,  cognac  and 
wine. 

Patriotic  and  amatory  songs  were  sung,  —  for  intoxicating 
drinks  have  a  powerful  effect  in  expanding  love  and  patriot 
ism, —  and  many  toasts  and  sentiments  were  drunk,  until  the 
jovial  fellows  began  to  feel  wonderfully  light  in  the  upper 
story,  and  not  a  little  heavy  about  the  lower  extremities. 
Their  vocal  powers,  nevertheless,  were  not  impaired.  In 
deed,  their  tongues  seemed  to  have  been  oiled,  so  dexterously 
did  the  muscles  play  that  set  them  in  motion.  All  went  on 
harmoniously,  however  ;  that  is,  there  was  no  quarrelling  or 
fighting,  or  aught  approximating  to  it,  until  about  twelve 
o'clock,  when  Captain  Somers,  striking  the  table  three  times 
with  his  brawny  fist,  to  attract  attention,  proclaimed  that  he 
would  give  a  sentiment. 

"  Fill  your  glasses,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  to  the  brim  — 
and  no  heel-taps,  mind  !  I  '11  give  you  '  The  President  of  the 
United  States  and  all  his  Cabinet,'  as  honest  a  set  of  fellows 
as  ever  gave  the  word  to  '  haul  taught  and  belay.' " 

The  sentiment  was  drunk  amid  acclamations  by  all  the 
company,  excepting  old  Captain  Hazlewood,  of  the  brig  Poly 
phemus,  of  Saco,  who  was  a  good  deal  of  a  politician,  but 
who  unfortunately  happened  to  be  on  the  other  side.  His 
glass  remained  untouched. 

"  Hallo  !  "  shouted  Somers,  "  why  don't  you  toss  off  your 
glass,  Captain  Hazlewood,  hey  ?  " 

"  Because  I  believe  the  president  and  his  cabinet  are  a  set 
of  shabby  fellows,  and  I  would  sooner  lend  a  hand  to  seize 
them  up  to  the  main  rigging,  and  give  each  of  them  a  dozen, 
than  drink  their  healths  !  " 

"  And  I  think,"  shouted  Captain  Somers,  his  eyes  kindling 
with  wrath,  "  that  the  man  who  will  pass  his  wine  at  such  a 
time  as  this,  deserves  to  have  it  thrown  in  his  face !  "  And, 
suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  reached  his  long  arm  across 


SATURDAY    NIGHT   REVELS. 


405 


the  table,  seized  the  full  glass,  and  threw  it  slap  into  the  face 
of  the  astonished  Hazlewood  ! 


This  act  caused  a  sensation  among  the  company,  which  was 
increased  when  Hazlewood,  after  drawing  his  hand  across 
his  eyes  to  clear  his  sight,  and  enable  him  to  take  good  aim, 
clutched  a  decanter  which  was  standing  on  the  table  near 
him,  and  hurled  it  with  fury  at  the  man  who  had  so  grossly 
insulted  him  !  It  took  effect  just  between  his  eyebrows,  and 
capsized  him  in  an  instant. 

There  was  now  great  confusion  in  the  cabin  of  the  Pan- 
dolfo.  Mr.  Hodgkins,  a  friend  of  Captain  Somers,  no  sooner 
beheld  that  worthy  man  so  unceremoniously  stretched  in  a 
horizontal  position  on  the  floor,  than  he  sprang  upon  the  table ; 


406  SALT    WATER   BUBBLES. 

and,  amid  the  crash  of  tumblers,  glasses  and  decanters,  and 
the  shouts  of  the  excited  company,  attacked  Captain  Hazle- 
wood  with  great  fury.  Somers,  with  the  blood  streaming  over 
his  face,  rose  from  the  floor,  and,  pouring  forth  whole  volumes 
of  threats  and  imprecations,  joined  in  the  fray.  Hazlewood 
received  some  hard  knocks  before  Captain  Snyder  and  one  or 
two  others  could  interfere  and  hustle  him  on  deck,  which  they 
did  under  pretence  of  finding  room  for  a  fair  fight.  Captain 
Snyder  then,  while  the  altercation  was  renewed,  and  threatened 
serious  consequences,  called  to  his  mates  to  order  the  crews 
into  the  boats  at  once ;  and  the  men  were  summoned,  as  be 
fore  related. 

But  the  men,  by  this  time,  were  exceedingly  surly  and  inde 
pendent,  and,  being  called  away  in  the  midst  of  some  very 
pretty  quarrels  of  their  own,  were  in  no  hurry  to  make  their 
appearance  on  deck.  And  when  they  staggered  up,  at  last, 
their  mutterings  and  insolent  language  elicited  a  sharp  rebuke 
from  Mr.  Dalrymple,  which  was  replied  to  by  a  note  of  defi 
ance  from  one  of  the  sailors.  Two  or  three  of  the  captains, 
who  were  not  so  far  gone  but  that  they  could  distinguish  the 
voices  of  their  men,  now  stepped  into  the  waist  to  reprove  the 
refractory  seamen,  and  subject  them  to  discipline ;  when  Mr. 
Dalrymple,  whose  temper,  by  this  time  was  none  of  the  sweet 
est,  hit  one  of  the  fellows  who  had  replied  to  him  with  inso 
lence  a  hearty  blow  under  the  ear,  which  threw  him  on  his 
beam-ends ! 

This  was  the  signal  for  a  general  set-to.  All  hands  were 
now  on  deck.  They  saw  the  blow,  and  with  loud  shouts  fell 
on  the  mates.  Captain  Snyder  and  all  his  friends  entered 
briskly  into  the  combat ;  and  blows  were  interchanged  with  a 
hearty  good  will,  amid  loud  shouts  of  "  That 's  right,  Bill !  " 
'Hit  him  again,  Bob!"  "That's  a  settler,  my  good  fel 
low  ! "  &c.,  &c. 

The  combatants  soon  got  intermingled  with  each  other,  so 


SATURDAY    NIGHT    REVELS.  407 

that  it  was  impossible  for  them,  obfuscated  as  their  faculties 
were,  to  distinguish  a  friend  from  an  enemy;  and  furious 
blows  were  dealt  about  in  the  most  impartial  manner.  Even 
the  two  mates,  who  were  quite  sober,  fought  with  tremendous 
energy,  and  were  by  no  means  particular  with  regard  to  whom 
they  attacked.  They  were  glad  to  let  off  a  little  of  the  steam 
they  had  been  bottling  up,  and  seemed  to  act  with  much  zeal 
upon  the  advice  of  the  Irishman  to  a  Yankee  friend  at  Don- 
nybrook,  or  some  other  fair  —  namely,  "Whenever  you  see 
a  head,  hit  it !  " 

What  the  result  of  this^terrible  engagement  would  have 
been,  if  they  had  been  left  to  fight  it  out,  it  is  impossible  to 
say.  One  captain,  one  supercargo,  and  three  sailors,  were 
stretched,  hors  de  combat,  on  the  deck  —  that  is,  they  were 
completely  done  up  —  and  several  others  had  cracked  crowns 
and  bloody  noses,  when  two  large  boats,  filled  with  soldiers, 
well  armed,  dashed  alongside.  The  officers  boldly  boarded  the 
Pandolfo,  followed  by  the  soldiers,  and,  after  a  short  struggle, 
succeeded  in  subduing  and  capturing  the  belligerents  in  detail. 

And  now  there  was  a  terrible  jabbering  on  the  decks  of 
that  ship.  The  sailors  were  anxious  to  tell  their  story,  and 
exculpate  themselves  from  blame ;  the  captains,  also,  stoutly 
maintained  that  the  whole  cause  of  the  disturbance  might  be 
found  in  the  disorderly  and  mutinous  conduct  of  the  sailors, 
who  were  a  set  of  drunken  fellows,  and  would  always  kick  up 
a  row  whenever  they  could  get  rum.  The  Brazilians  were 
not  backward  in  doing  their  share  of  the  talking,  and  it  was 
a  long  time  before  the  question  of  blame  could  be  decided,  and 
harmony  and  quiet  restored.  This  was  at  last  done,  by  de 
ciding  that  the  sailors  alone  were  to  blame,  and  deserved  pun 
ishment  for  their  insolent,  mutinous,  drunken  and  outrageous 
conduct ! 

Six  of  the  most  turbulent  and  noisy  of  the  men  were  there 
fore  singled  out,  put  in  irons,  and  transferred  unceremoniously 


408  SALT   WATER   BUBBLES. 

from  the  deck  of  the  Pandolfo  to  the  guard-boats  alongside, 
and  then  conveyed  to  the  guard-ship  lying  at  anchor  at  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor.  Here  they  were  thrust  into  a  dark  and 
noisome  hole,  where  unsavory  vapors  and  mephitic  mists 
abounded,  and  for  a  week,  which  seemed  to  these  poor,  bruised, 
unfortunate  fellows  an  age,  they  were  fed  on  a  very  scanty 
diet,  consisting  of  caravances  (a  species  of  bean),  rancid  olive 
oil,  mouldy  bread,  and  garlic.  At  the  end  of  that  time  they 
were  glad  enough  to  promise  better  behavior  in  future,  and 
returned  to  their  respective  vessels,  wiser  at  least,  if  not  bet 
ter,  for  their  week's  incarceration  on  board  a  Brazilian  man- 
of-war. 

So  much  for  Saturday  night  revels  on  ship-board  in  days 
gone  by,  when  intoxicating  drinks  were  freely  used  in  the 
cabin  and  the  forecastle,  and  were  the  origin  of  a  vast  deal  of 
trouble,  discontent,  insolence,  oppression,  fighting,  flogging  and 
imprisonment.  But  those  days,  we  trust,  have  passed  away. 
The  vile  and  dangerous  effects  of  indulging  an  appetite  for 
strong  drinks,  especially  at  sea,  are  now  well  known.  If  a 
man  sins,  he  now  sins  with  his  eyes  wide  open,  and  deserves 
all  the  punishment  which  he  will,  in  some  shape  or  another, 
surely  receive.  And  if  a  ship-master,  with  the  light  of  knowl 
edge  upon  this  subject  upon  him  and  around  him,  will  persist 
in  resorting  to  this  stimulus,  in  these  days,  endangering  the 
peace  of  his  ship's  company,  and  jeoparding  the  property  and 
lives  under  his  charge,  he  is  unworthy  to  have  any  confidence 
reposed  in  him,  but  should  be  stripped  of  his  command  with 
all  possible  despatch. 


